NOW President Terry O'Neill to Stand with Reproductive Health Care Providers, Defenders in Nebraska

	For Immediate Release Contact: Lisa Bennett, 202-628-8669, ext. 123; NOW President Terry O'Neill to Stand with Reproductive Health Care Providers, Defenders in Nebraska "Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in May, anti-abortion forces have set their sights on Dr. LeRoy Carhart. Operation Rescue plans to besiege Dr. Carhart's Nebraska clinic this weekend in an attempt to terrorize the clinic workers and their patients, with the ultimate goal of closing down the facility," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "Because NOW believes that it is every woman's right to have access to the full range of reproductive health care, I will be there to stand with leaders and activists from NOW and other organizations to help defend these brave providers." What: Clinic Defense and Counter-Protest of Anti-Abortion Demonstrations Who: Dr. LeRoy Carhart, Owner and Provider, Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska Terry O'Neill, President, National Organization for Women Katherine Spillar, Executive Vice President, Feminist Majority Foundation Debra Sweet, National Director, World Can't Wait When: Press Conference: Fri, Aug. 28, 9:30 am - 10:00 am Clinic Defense and Counter-Demonstration: Fri-Sat, Aug. 28-29, 7:00 a.m. - closing Where: Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska 1002 W. Mission Avenue, Bellevue, Nebraska "Clinic violence and harassment are domestic terrorism, plain and simple. The hateful rhetoric and attacks have grown bolder this year. As we prepare to stand in peaceful support of women's rights in Nebraska, we know that every clinic in the United States is a potential target," said O'Neill. "I call on the Obama administration to respond to this threat using the strongest means possible, to prosecute the criminals, their funders and their co-conspirators, and to protect every provider, worker and patient across this nation." Learn more about NOW's efforts to defend Dr. Carhart's clinic.

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Posted by,
Jerin Alam
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force
NOW – NYS Young Feminist Task Force Chair
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)

2009 NYC Reproductive Health Fair

Friday, August 7, 2009
Union Square Park ? 5 - 8 pm

Organization:
NARAL Pro-Choice New York

Topic:
2009 Reproductive Health Fair

Description:
* Resources on free or low-cost reproductive health care

* Free condoms and information on safe sex methods

* Find out on-site if you are eligible for public health insurance

Sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice New York
As a large public event dedicated solely to reproductive health, the health fair will be an opportunity to distribute materials and inform New Yorkers about local advocacy efforts. In addition, the health fair will be an opportunity to share with uninsured New York women information on public insurance options and health care resources they have available to them. It will also serve as an outlet to recruit volunteers and add contacts for advocacy membership.

Visit www.prochoiceny.org for more information


In collaboration with (list in formation):
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* New Space for Women's Health/Choices in Childbirth
* Institute for Family Health
* New York Abortion Access Fund
* New York Civil Liberties Union
* Reproductive Health Access Project
* Planned Parenthood NYC
* NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault


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

Good News: Anti-choice amendments FAIL in senate committee

I know a feminist's work is never done, but once in a while, we should stop to celebrate our victories.

Published on RHRealityCheck.org (http://www.rhrealitycheck.org)

Anti-Choice Amendments Fail in Senate HELP Committee
By Emily Douglas
Created Jul 13 2009 - 4:18pm

Chalk up a second win for women's health on the road to health care reform: today, the Senate HELP Committee defeated a handful of anti-choice amendments to the Affordable Health Choices Act, its version of health care reform legislation (the first win, remember, was passage of a Sen. Barbara Mikulski-sponsored amendment to increase access to basic preventive care for women, including cancer screenings and contraceptives, and prohibit the practice of gender-rating among insurers).

Senators Hatch (R-UT), Ensign (R-NV) and Coburn (R-OK) were behind the anti-choice amendments, which were intended to hamper women's access to comprehensive health care in any number of ways. They would have prohibited any public funding of abortion including through private plans made available through a health insurance exchange; would have expanded provider refusal clauses (we've been through that fight before [1]); and would have pre-emptively stated that the bill, if passed in final form, would not supercede existing state laws, such as parental notification statutes, restricting access to abortion care.

Each amendment failed along a nearly-straight party line vote, with Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to vote for the amendments.

This may not be the last we see of amendments like these, however -- the Senate Finance Committee will soon mark up its own version of health care reform, and the tri-Committee House bill is another avenue through which anti-choice amendments could be trotted out.

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

Pro-Life leader questions need for diversity

Please watch the following video, which features incoming NOW President Terry, along with Elisabeth Crum, who was on the Young Feminist Task Force workshop with me at the NOW National Conference in Indiana.

I am so glad Operation Rescue's leader questions the need for diversity in Supreme Court. This just proves how ridiculous that Pro-Life group's argument is. He is clearly racist, as many of those people are.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/07/13/VI2009071302693.html?referrer=emaillink

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

Two Pro-Choice Events Coming Up Next Week

Re-Elect City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn!

Tuesday, July 7^th

5:30 PM

Quinn 2009 Campaign Headquarters

123 West 18th Street, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10011

Please join NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and activists from NARAL Pro-Choice New York & Planned Parenthood of New York City to discuss issues important to New York City women and collect signatures to get Chris on the ballot!

Please RSVP to lhoward@prochoiceny.org or 646-520-3506

-------------------------------------------------------------

Choices: Abortion

Wednesday, July 8^th

6:30 PM- 8:30 PM

NARAL Pro-Choice New York

470 Park Avenue South, 7^th Floor, NYC

NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Institute for Reproductive Health in partnership with co-sponsors the New York Abortion Access Fund and Exhale presents: “Choices: Abortion”.

Presenters will share the work they do each day to provide financial assistance to low-income women who cannot afford to pay for an abortion, support and counsel women after they have an abortion, ensure that all women have the health care coverage and access necessary to obtain reproductive health care, and work on the legislative and political levels to ensure that all people have access to safe and legal abortion.

Presenters include:

Constance DeCherney, Board Chair, New York Abortion Access Fund

Kristen Schultz Oliver, Lead Trainer, Exhale

Myra Batchelder, Director, Low-Income Access Program, the National Institute for Reproductive Health

Sabrina Shulman, Political Director, NARAL Pro-Choice New York

Event is free and open to all with RSVP to Lalena Howard at lhoward@prochoiceny.org or 646-520-3506. Event space is wheel-chair accessible

THF: A call to activism (a.k.a., letter-writing)

I, The Happy Feminist, am happy today to accept the title of President-elect of the Women's Rights Coalition. Feel free to add me on facebook (I'm listed as President-elect in our facebook group); you can message me anytime with anything you may need. I write my first blog from D.C. today.

I am not feeling awesome about the assassination of Dr. Tiller, but I took a page (pun...is it a bad time for puns?) from Carolyn Maloney's book and decided to make a call for action.

I invite you all to take any outrage you may have about Dr. Tiller's death and write to your senators and congressmen/women about it. Whether it be New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Transylvania, whatever. Contact them! Here's a letter I sent to mine, please read it and send it along:

To my esteemed Senators:

I would like to begin my letter explaining how much I appreciate the work that you do; I am fully aware of how little like a picnic your job must be.

I write to you today to ask for renewed enforcement of the FACE Act of 1994, and I am sure you know why. Dr. Tiller’s work is controversial to some, but we can at least agree that civil disobedience may be a tradition we respect in this country, sure, but violence is not. Trusting women is the belief of the pro-choice movement, but the health of a human being is the belief of those who support late term abortions.

Politics aside, domestic terrorism is unacceptable. I cannot imagine what those people attending church the morning of Dr. Tiller’s death felt upon hearing the gunshots. My fear of domestic terrorism is not unfounded:

“The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.” (Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press Writer, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090607/ap_on_re_us/us_abortion_shooting)

I am calling on you for renewed enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994. “FACE makes it illegal to intentionally use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, interfere with, or attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with individuals obtaining or providing reproductive health care services. FACE also punishes anyone who intentionally damages or destroys a facility that provides reproductive health services.” (http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/face_act.html)

I know that this issue will continue to be debated in the years to come, but I hope that we can at least do so peacefully.

Sincerely,