Action Alert: Sat, 8/29: Women's Pro-Health Reform Rally In NYC

Women's Groups to March Together
It's time to fight back and show that the majority of Americans know we desperately need health reform this year!

A variety of progressive groups and health reform activists are organizing a pro-health reform rally in Times Square on Saturday, August 29 from 2pm - 4pm.

A women's contingent will gather outside Roosevelt's Hospital at West 59th St. and 10th Ave. at 12pm and march together to Times Square.

Organizations participating in the women's contingent include:

* Planned Parenthood of NYC

* NYCLU

* The Community Healthcare Network

* NARAL Pro-Choice NY

* WCLA-Choices Matters

* Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health

If you organization would like to co-sponsor and send participants, please email: info@raisingwomensvoices.net.


This alert is posted on our site


Posted by,
Jerin Alam
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force
NOW – NYS Young Feminist Task Force Chair
National Organization for Women (NOW)

Action Alert: Stop Opponents of Health Care Reform from Distorting the Truth

	Stop Opponents of Health Care Reform from Distorting the Truth Statistics have been at the center of the current battle over health care, but opponents of reform have been deceiving the public with biased data that fits their ideological arguments. The Washington Post just revealed that the Lewin Group, which is commonly cited by Republican lawmakers as an "independent, nonpartisan" think tank, is owned by UnitedHealth, one the country's largest health insurance companies. This is bad, even by Washington standards. The Lewin Group's research has heavily influenced the health care debate, and its supposedly objective projections have been used to scare Americans away from supporting health care reform. Tell opponents of health care reform to stop falsely presenting insurance industry research as unbiased information > It's not surprising that a private insurance company would publish biased information to misinform people about health care reform, which threatens their billions of dollars in annual profits. But for lawmakers who oppose reform to repeat these biased reports as facts without acknowledging their true source is disingenuous and irresponsible. The American people deserve an honest, straightforward debate on the merits of health care reform. Tell members of Congress to stop using biased numbers provided by the insurance industry and start an honest debate about how to fix health care in America > Thanks for lending your voice, - The Change.org Team Posted by: Jerin Alam National NOW Young Feminist Task Force National Organization for Women (NOW)		Click here to sign your name Stop Congressman from using biased research intended to scare people about health care reform.

Action Alert: Tell Congress Women's Health Matters In Health Care Reform

Our partners in Albany, Family Planning Advocates of New York State, are calling on supporters to help get the word out about health care reform. Please take a few minutes to find out how you can use your voice to protect access to our services. Congress is heading home for August recess without taking action on health care reform. Planned Parenthood's role in this reform process is to ensure that comprehensive reproductive health services remain available for all women and families. August is a critical time when your Member of Congress will be home, hearing from constituents on this important issue. We need your help to send the message to Congress that Women's Health Matters! Lately, anti-choice forces and lawmakers have come together in a dangerous attempt to halt our efforts, threatening to take away women's access to essential services like cancer screenings, contraception and abortion. Time is of the essence. The public and Congress need to know that millions of women across the country depend on community health centers like Planned Parenthood for their reproductive health care and, in many cases, for their primary health care. Writing a letter to the editor of your local paper can have a big impact in the little time that Congress is home. And, sending a letter is easy. In just a few clicks you can send a personalized letter to your local newspaper. Please take a moment to help spread the word about how important it is to include this type of care in health care reform. Women shouldn't be worse off after health care reform than they are today. CLICK HERE TO START WRITING YOUR LETTER Spread the word. Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Network. Posted by: Jerin Alam National NOW Young Feminist Task Force National Organization for Women (NOW) visit plannedparenthood.org © 2009 Planned Parenthood® of New York City | Privacy Policy

NOW Outraged at House Vote on Abortion Coverage -- Women's Rights Traded Away

For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906 NOW Outraged at House Vote on Abortion Coverage -- Women's Rights Traded Away July 31, 2009 NOW is outraged to learn that the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an amendment excluding abortion services from the "essential" health benefits package as defined by the government. Under this amendment, subsidies used to help pay insurance premiums for low-income people could not be used for abortion services. The New York Times reports that "insurers must use money from private sources to pay for any abortions." "Reproductive health care is a fundamental right. Any health care plan that does not cover the full range of reproductive services, including abortion, discriminates against women," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "Once again, our representatives are giving in to the right wing by trading away women's rights. Well, I have a message for them, our reproductive rights are not theirs to give away." O'Neill noted that a majority of voters support coverage for abortion services, with only about a quarter opposed to using tax dollars to pay for abortion. In addition, a recent study found that most people in the U.S. with employer-based insurance currently have coverage for abortion. "Don't low-income people deserve the same level of coverage as other people in this country?" asked O'Neill. "Our lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating class-based and gender-based biases as they attempt to 'reform' our broken health care system." Posted by: Jerin Alam National NOW Young Feminist Task Force National Organization for Women (NOW)

Single-Payer Health Care Would Benefit Women, Promote Equality and Justice for All

	For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906 Single-Payer Health Care Would Benefit Women Promote Equality and Justice for All Statement of NOW President Terry O'Neill July 30, 2009 Health care is a fundamental human right, and ensuring access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health care within the United States is a moral imperative confronting our legislators today. Since 1993, the National Organization for Women has been a leader in the campaign for single-payer health care in the U.S. It is, as President Obama noted last week, the only way to ensure coverage for everyone. Single-payer health care is particularly important for women. Women bear the brunt of this nation's broken health care system, and it's coming at us from multiple directions. Women are disproportionately under-insured in the U.S. because we tend to be clustered in part-time, non-union and other jobs that do not provide health care. When we do seek coverage on the open market, we are often charged more than men, even while many of us are denied maternity care. And because statistics show that women remain paid between 78 and 58 cents on the dollar compared to men, even those of us who are fortunate enough to receive employer-sponsored insurance are less likely to be able to pay premiums. Moreover, the burden of caring for the sick has increasingly shifted from health care professionals to family caregivers. As insurance companies force hospitals to turn out patients shortly after major surgery, patients are sent home to be cared for by unpaid family members, predominantly women. The best way to correct these problems is to enact single-payer health care, covering all women regardless of their employment status, immigration status or ability to pay. And while covering everyone, single-payer health care would also be significantly more cost-effective than the system we have now, because removing the profit-seeking insurance companies from the equation eliminates a huge portion of health care costs. Despite what some of our elected officials might think, any public plan must cover all reproductive health services. Women have a right to full access to the complete range of reproductive health care services. This includes HIV/STD testing, maternity care, pre- and post-natal care, contraception and abortion. The greed and dominance of the private health insurance industry is both a symptom of and a major contributor to the massive inequality that is entrenched in our society. Single-payer health care promotes health and economic justice for all.

NOW.org | Press Room | View Online | Subscribe | Unsubscribe, Edit Profile Posted by: Jerin Alam National NOW Young Feminist Task Force National Organization for Women (NOW)

Action Alert: Urge Representatives Today to Support Single-Payer!

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Support NOW's Work |	July 28, 2009	| Tell a Friend

Action Needed Background All NOW Actions More about Health		Urge House Members Today to Support Single-Payer The House of Representative may vote this week on its bill (America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, H.R. 3200) to reform our dysfunctional health care system. Act NOW to keep state single-payer options in this important piece of health care reform legislation! Tell your representatives to support single-payer health care After taking action, please support our work! Action Needed: Thanks to your recent calls, this important amendment was adopted in committee. Now the challenge is to keep it in the larger House health care reform bill, H.R. 3200, when it goes to a floor vote. Your calls and emails to House members are critical to support retention of a state single-payer option in health care reform legislation, so take action now! Background: On July 17, the Education and Labor Committee approved an amendment offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, (D-Ohio) to H.R. 3200 that would allow states to pass and implement single-payer plans. The amendment provides for automatic waivers from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which might otherwise prevent states from enacting single-payer plans. This was a huge victory for single-payer but if we are to build on this victory, we must act now. The Kucinich amendment must be retained in the final version of the House bill, H.R. 3200, and perhaps made even stronger. There is no time to waste. Pressure is needed directly on those members who have the ability to act in support of the amendment's retention. The National Organization for Women adopted a resolution in 1993 that supports a single-payer type approach (Medicare for all) as the best way to control costs and cover everyone. Women, especially, will benefit from a single-payer system because all medically-necessary services are covered and the single-payer system's approach is the only way to bring costs under control. No up-front deductibles would be required and no exclusions for reproductive health care services would be allowed. Further news: An amendment to be offered by Rep. Anthony Weiner in committee that would establish a national single-payer system (H.R. 676) may take place before the floor vote, though we are not sure when and if this may come up. Insiders believe that the national single-payer plan has little chance of being adopted in a floor vote. However, if action in the House speeds up this week before August recess, we do want to make sure the state single-payer option is retained. As we celebrate Medicare's 44th Anniversary on Thursday, July 30, join us in taking action to support single-payer as the way to provide health care for all and promote economic justice in our nation. and then
SUPPORT NOW: Support NOW's Work for Equal Rights | Join NOW | Monthly Giving | Catalog | Shop Amazon TAKE ACTION: Get Involved | Find Your Nearest Chapter | Tell a Friend | Learn More LISTS: Unsubscribe, Edit Profile | Subscribe | All Lists Posted by: Jerin Alam National NOW Young Feminist Task Force National Organization for Women (NOW)

Action Alert: Counter-Protest to Anti-Choice Demonstration

Join Feminist Majority Foundation interns in a non-confrontational counter-protest, tomorrow July 28 at 10:45 A.M., outside Cannon House Office Building. Troy Newman and Operation Rescue are planning to bring their “abortion is not health care” campaign to the Capitol and we will be there to offer a pro-women, pro-choice perspective!

Here are the details:
What: Counter-Protest to Operation Rescue Demonstration
When: Tuesday, July 28th at 10:45 A.M.
Where: Cannon HOB (Corner of Independence and New Jersey Ave.)

Join us and help to fight for reproductive rights to be included in the health care legislation!

Questions call 703-522-2214 and ask to speak with Laura Ponchick or Sarah Hejma.

Posted by:
Jerin Alam
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)