California NOW

Monday's Action Checklist

The Senate begins debate on health care reform legislation this week. So far, the Senate bill does not include the House’s harmful Stupak-Pitts amendment, which takes away essential abortion coverage that 87% of insurance plans provide today. In the United States, 1 out of every 3 women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Abortion is healthcare for women.
Take action with NOW.
Sign the NWLC petition.
Sign the BWHI petition.
Sign the FMF petition.
Sign the Advocates for Youth petition.
Thank CA Senators Boxer & Feinstein for supporting a vote on health care reform.
Join The Hanger Project and raise awareness in your school or community!

Join a CODEPINK protest against escalation in Afghanistan:
Berkeley: 3:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 64 Shattuck Square (gather at Marine Officers Recruiting Station), then to join the San Francisco protest at 5 p.m. [contact: info@bayareacodepink.org]
Los Angeles, CA: 5 p.m., Dec. 2, Federal Building, Wilshire Veterans, [contact: codepinkla@gmail.com, 310-827-4320]
Orange County: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 2, Plaza Square (Chapman Ave Glassell St) in Orange, CA [cathy@codepinkoc.org]
San Francisco: [contact: Janet Weil, codepinkjanet@gmail.com]
* Press conference, 11 a.m., Dec. 1, New Federal Building, 7th Mission
* Activist gathering to watch the President's address, 5 p.m., Dec. 1, Tommy’s Joynt at Van Ness Geary;
* Street protest and candlelight vigil, 5 p.m., Dec. 2, Powell Market, and Federal Building
More information. 

Across the country, more than 70% of three and four year olds have no access to publicly funded early education programs. Half a million of these children come from low-income families. Investing in early education is smart. Research indicates that every dollar spent on high-quality pre-kindergarten is worth $7 in taxpayer savings and economic productivity. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed a bill that would provide billions in funding for early childhood education, but opponents are trying to block this crucial funding in the Senate. Ask your Representative to support early education funding.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a study on hunger in America. The study highlighted a staggering statistic: 1 in 4 children in our nation are now on the brink of hunger. That's the highest number since the USDA started keeping track. The Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act would ensure that millions more children across our country have access to healthy foods. This Act will add meal or snack options for children who need them, helping to cover the costs of food for children who are in care for longer hours, and making more family child care providers eligible for higher levels of reimbursement. Tell your Senators that children across our country are depending on them. 

The economic recession has impacted all of our lives in one way or another. It has been especially harsh on older Americans, whose retirement and health care options may be at stake. As many as 2.5 million people age 65 and older may need some level of assistance with money management. By sharing your story, you can help demonstrate the crucial need for programs and services aimed at helping older Americans manage their financial lives.

Women & Health Care Reform: Myths & Facts

Here are some myths and facts about women and health reform from the National Women's Law Center.

MYTH: We don’t need health care reform. This country has a great health care system and there’s nothing wrong with it.
FACT: The United States might have some of the best doctors in the world, but Americans pay more for health care than people in any other industrialized country. And we get less for our money.

Even worse, we have millions of uninsured people who cannot access health care. Eighteen percent of women in the U.S. do not have health insurance. Women who do have insurance are more likely than men to have insufficient coverage that leaves them vulnerable to financial risk and unmet health needs. More than half of all women — 52% — have had trouble getting health care due to cost, compared to 39% of men.

MYTH: Our economy is slowly recovering. We can’t afford health care reform.
FACT: The House bill that recently passed is projected to save us money — about $104 billion over 10 years. Health care reform is also expected to increase the number of insured Americans and help make health insurance more affordable.

What we can’t afford is doing nothing. We are spending $2 trillion per year now on health care. And if health care costs continue to rise, at least half of U.S. households will spend more than 45% of their income on insurance by 2016.

MYTH: Women aren’t charged more than men for health insurance. We already have laws against that.
FACT: Actually, when women buy health coverage directly from insurance companies, they can be charged more than men. Female non-smokers are often charged more than men who smoke. And businesses that have a large number of female employees are charged more for insurance than other businesses.

Current health care reform legislation would end this discriminatory practice.

Women need comprehensive health care reform, including access to abortion care and other reproductive health services.

Women need health care reform that meets our needs, including comprehensive reproductive health services that cover abortion care. Together, we can win the fight to keep the House-passed anti-choice Stupak-Pitts amendment, which will cause millions of women to lose the abortion coverage they now have, out of the final Senate bill and then finally pass good health care reform legislation.

Take Action

Sign CA Senator Barbara Boxer's petition against Stupak.  
Then sign the Planned Parenthood petition too.  
Sign this petition and CREDO Action will send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women's rights.  
And then sign the ACLU petition against Stupak as well. 

Have Our Thanks, and a Discount on Great Feminist Gifts for the Holidays!

California NOW wants to thank you, our strong supporters, for helping us to promote the message of equality for women and girls throughout California and across the country.  

To say thank you, we're giving you a special discount on all of our great feminist merchandise, from now through the end of the year.

So buy a t-shirt, a tank top, some panties, postcards or DVDs, and know that not only are you getting a great deal, you're helping to promote feminist efforts statewide.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Toward Women and Girls

Today, Wednesday, November 25th, a noon press conference will take place on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall, immediately followed by a 1-3 PM healing ceremony for survivors of violence with a multi arts performance in the esplanade across the street, entitled “They Are All Our Daughters.”   

As the Bay Area community reels in horror due to recent gang rapes, a coalition of local arts and human rights groups announce a community healing ceremony, free multi-arts performance and press conference.  November 25 is the UN mandated day to kick off 16 days of action for the elimination of violence towards women and girls, globally.  Similar activities will take place around the world that day.

Monday's Action Checklist

For decades, a very difficult and delicate compromise has held firm: Women can use their own private funds for legal reproductive health care procedures, but federal funds cannot be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. The Stupak Amendment would change all of that, telling women who participate in the new health insurance exchange that they can't even use their own funds to buy a policy that includes abortion coverage. It would be one of the biggest setbacks to women's health in recent decades -- and we can't let it pass. Please stand with us to protect women's health and keep the Stupak Amendment out of the final health care bill.
Sign CA Senator Barbara Boxer's petition against Stupak.  
Then sign the Planned Parenthood petition too.  
Sign this petition and CREDO Action will send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women's rights.  
And then sign the ACLU petition against Stupak as well. 

Some conservative Democratic Senators are still trying to kill the public health insurance option. Instead of opposing it outright, they're pushing a sneaky proposal called a "trigger" that could delay it indefinitely—by forcing us to wait for the health care crisis to get even worse before the public option becomes available. We've got to send an overwhelming message right away that the trigger is unacceptable, and show the Senate that voters demand a real public option. Sign the MoveOn.org petition opposing the weakened "trigger" option.  

It's time to remind Congress (yes, again!) that real people -- their constituents -- will not be pacified until Congress passes a healthcare reform package that does right by women, children, and families. Twenty members of Congress are wearing MomsRising's pacifier lapel pin to show their support for getting health reform right for kids and families. Now, it's your turn! Show your support for health reform by wearing your very own pacifier pin -- on Facebook!  

Did you know that Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been implicated in everything from miscarriages to cancer to sexual dysfunction? And it can be found in your food containers! BPA is in a broad range of food packaging including baby bottles, water bottles, almost all soda can liners and many other types of packaging. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing BPA, and they will release their recommendations next week. The more of us working together right now to finally rid food containers of toxic BPA, the better. It's time for action. Join us in signing CREDO Action's petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging a ban of BPA in all food packaging!  

For years, scientists at our federal agencies have been silenced – discouraged from going public with critical health issues. Where our health is concerned, we certainly want scientists to be allowed to speak openly and honestly. But just last year, news came to light that former Vice President Cheney's office censored pages of congressional testimony from scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to cover up the health threats posed by global warming. Urge federal agencies to improve their media policies – and let scientists speak out about critical public issues.  

Five million seniors live on less than $10,000 a year and 25 percent survive on social security alone. The economic crisis has intensified demand for programs and services serving America's older citizens. But still many more are simply falling through the cracks. Too many seniors across America have faced a difficult time in the current recession. They struggle with unaffordable housing and health care, along with rising costs for utilities, prescriptions and basic living expenses. Add your name to the list of people who believe seniors should receive the help they need to lead better and more fulfilling lives - with independence, dignity and control.  

The Obama administration has proposed new standards that would require new cars sold in the U.S. to average 34.1 mpg, cutting our greenhouse gas emissions and saving us money. There's just one problem: loopholes in the new standards would allow automakers to dodge the new regulations instead of meeting them. BUT we have a chance to close the loopholes and strengthen the rule if we act before Friday, the 27th! Please write the EPA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) right now, and urge them to close the loopholes that would allow automakers to evade the new standards. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.  The issues of transgender people are often ignored, even within the LGBT community and feminist circles. 

This is a day not to celebrate, but to honor those who have been killed simply because of who they are. In the past year alone, over 120 transgender people have been murdered because of their gender and/or presentation (some merely for appearing to be transgender, even if they did not identify that way).

It is also a day for cisgender people to commit to ending oppression against transgender people, by refusing to participate in the behavior that marginalizes and excludes them.  That means taking steps like deliberately including transgender people in women's and feminist spaces, respecting transgender people's identity by using their chosen names and pronouns, and refusing to accept the use of a transgender identity as the punchline of a joke, or as an excuse for violence or discrimination. We recognize the responsibilities of cisgender people in ending violence against transgender people not as an appropriation, but as an acknowledgment of cisgender privilege.

Rather than trying to imitate the others who have been writing all week, here is a list of links for further reading.

The list of the dead 

Local events for Transgender Day of Remembrance 

Resources for trans parents, and parents of trans kids 

TDOR & Latin@s 

How race and class privileges can function with anti-transgender violence 

The Transgender Foundation of America 

Feminist Wine Club raises money, health & spirits - we'll drink to that!

Now there’s an easy, enjoyable, non-intimidating way for women to learn about wine, build community, and support women winemakers and causes as well! The Feminist Wine Club, by Bottlenotes and the California National Organization for Women, brings fabulous women-made wines to women’s doorsteps each month! 

For women who enjoy wine socially, learning to appreciate wines can come with added health benefits. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for American women, causing over 27 percent of deaths. Components in red wine such as flavonoids, resveratrol, and other antioxidants have been shown to have an effect in reducing heart disease risk by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol, preventing blood clots, and protecting against artery damage.

Whether they’re poured out at a book club night, saved for a special wine tasting, or just enjoyed with a good dinner, the Feminist Wine Club will help subscribers learn about fabulous regional and varietal boutique wines while connecting members with each other, and with issues that matter to women across the state and country.

Feminist Wine Club members can also read and store wine tasting notes in their free online wine cellar (My Wine Cellar), register for wines they want, and sign up for The Daily Sip™ to get a free daily dose of wine knowledge (think Daily Candy for wine!), featuring winemakers, wine regions, wines, celebrity wine lovers and chefs, wine tips and gadgets.

Started by Alyssa Rapp and Kim Donaldson, Bottlenotes is the premier online wine community, where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share wine tasting notes, and buy great boutique and estate wines from around the world.

End-of-Week Actions: Stop Stupak!

Far from being abortion-neutral, the Stupak/Pitts Amendment, dictated in a back room by the Catholic Bishops and its army of lobbyists, is a giant step backward for women's right to choose. Millions of poor and middle class women will be denied abortion coverage and millions more will lose the coverage they already have. In fact, George Washington University has released analysis showing that the amendment would essentially all coverage for abortion under any health plan.  This means that women's health care is still being treated as less than essential. Sign a petition to your Senators telling them that this is unacceptable in any health reform bill. Can you write a letter to the editor today urging Congress to keep the anti-choice "Stupak amendment" out of the final health care bill? Click here to get started, MoveOn.org makes it easy!

JOIN US TO RALLY & PHONE BANK FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH

THIS FRIDAY: Rally outside the Federal Courthouse in Downtown LA
When: Friday, November 20th, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Where: 312 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 (cross streets Temple and Spring)
We'll have signs and chants for you, but feel free to make your own and bring friends! RSVP to grassroots@pp-la.org so that we have enough materials for everyone!

MONDAY 11/23 & 11/30: Phone Bank into Key Congressional Districts
When: Monday, November 23rd & 30th, 10am-1pm
Where: 400 W 30th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007 (just west of Grand)
We'll provide you with training, scripts and lunch. Help educate Californians about the Stupak ban and connect them with their Congressional Rep's office! RSVP to grassroots@pp-la.org.

WEDNESDAY, 12/2 Lobbying in D.C. & local Senate Offices
On Wednesday, Dec. 2, abortion rights supporters will gather in Washington, D.C., to lobby the Senate and rally for health care reform that ensures women's access to reproductive health care. We want to know if you're planning to be at the National Lobby Day and Rally and/or if you're interested in other volunteer opportunities on this critical issue. Fill out our volunteer online form NOW.

Local California Senators' offices are:

San Francisco:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 393-0707 Fax: (415) 393-0710
Senator Barbara Boxer: 1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100 (202) 224-0454 fax
Los Angeles:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 914-7300 Fax: (310) 914-7318
Senator Barbara Boxer: 312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1748, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 894-5000 (202) 224-0357 fax
San Diego:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 750 B Street, Suite 1030, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 231-9712 Fax: (619) 231-1108
Senator Barbara Boxer: 600 B Street, Suite 2240, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-3884 (202) 228-3863 fax
Fresno:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 2500 Tulare Street, Suite 4290, Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: (559) 485-7430 Fax: (559) 485-9689
Senator Barbara Boxer: 2500 Tulare Street, Suite 5290, Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 497-5109 (202) 228-3864 fax
Sacramento:
Senator Barbara Boxer: 501 I Street, Suite 7-600, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 448-2787 (202) 228-3865 fax
Inland Empire:
3403 10th Street, Suite 704, Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 684-4849 (202) 228-3868 fax

Who: National Organization for Women and Allies
What: National Lobby Day and Rally to Stop Stupak-Pitts
Where: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. & local Senate offices
When: Wed, Dec. 2, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
More information and action ideas are online, including details on a rally with NOW President Terry O'Neill in Pennsylvania this Saturday, Nov. 21. 

Dear Mr. Stupak: Do You Trust Women?

By Hilary Hammell and Anat Shenker
First published at RH Reality Check

The Stupak amendment has prompted our well-deserved ire. But it also presents an opportunity for serious reflection about what abortion represents and how we represent it.

We have often spoken the language of my: my child, my choice; keep your laws of my body; U.S. out of my uterus. With some laudable exceptions, a rights-based, essentially libertarian framework has formed the basis for our argument.

This appeal, while deeply resonant with the pre-Roe generation, has become less and less effective. We’ve heard the problems before. Choice is simply too weak a concept to stand up against Life. Choice conveys quick decisions made without thought, reinforcing the already negative stereotypes about why women abort. Choice is necessary but completely insufficient.

Alternative frameworks, like A Woman Knows Best offered by the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, present an antidote to the limitations of choice and individual rights in this debate. Critiques from the Reproductive Justice movement and others at the front lines of contemplating how we communicate deserve our attention. Now more than ever.

If any of us actually believed we could achieve our aims by staking our claim to individual rights or privacy and taking government out of the picture, the jig is up. Details aside, the public has heard that the issue now on the table is government funding for abortion. This isn’t government out of my decisions, this is government please foot the bill (and while your at it make sure doctors are trained to do it.)

This is a moment to change the debate. We must hold legislators to account and make them the protagonists in the abortion issue. They’ve inserted themselves into the process, it’s only fitting that we bring them into our frame. We propose to start by asking Stupak and his allies one thing: Do you trust women?

Abortion does not happen magically, by virtue of being funded. Abortion happens because women seek it out. Anti-abortion legislators need not fear that by allowing federal funds to cover abortion, they are renouncing their anti-abortion values. No one will be forced into having an abortion under comprehensive health care reform. Instead, abortion will happen – safely - when and if women seek it. Abortion is a decision. If you are anti-abortion, it is always someone else's decision. But critically, it is a decision that only ever implicates women.

We need to ask one thing when we talk about Stupak: Do legislators trust women? If these anti-abortion legislators do not trust women, then it is logical to make sure abortion will not be part of health care coverage. In this Stupak and Hyde world, women seeking abortion must be wrong, they must be stopped. But if legislators do trust women, then they must think again about prohibiting abortion, even if they are personally opposed to it as a moral or ethical issue.

We need to pose the following questions to the anti-abortion Democrats:

Do you agree that pregnancy implicates women’s health?
Do you think that the person primarily affected by a health care decision should make that decision?
Do you agree that pregnancy is something that happens only to women?
Do you think that sometimes pregnancies are not planned?
Do you think that sometimes a woman might want to terminate a pregnancy?

If the answer to all of the above is yes, legislators would still allow health plans to fund abortion without challenging their core values, as long as they answer yes to the next question: Do you trust women? That is, do you trust them to make their own decisions, even if you think their decisions are wrong? Another way of asking this is: Do you think that women have the right to be equal citizens with men under the law? If the answer to this question is no, then at least we would hear this in a public forum, and we’d see the abortion debate for what it really is – a proxy for the belief that women are inferior to men.

Trusting women doesn’t necessarily mean you are “pro-abortion.” In fact, you don’t even have to sign on as “pro-choice.” You can oppose abortion. This means, at the personal level, if you are female, you will not get an abortion. If you are male, you will try to ensure that your female relatives don’t get an abortion. At the policy level, for abortion opponents of either sex, it can also mean that you will support adoption resources, you will support family-planning initiatives, you will support neonatal care and early childhood resources in your community. Disagree vocally with abortion as a bioethical issue. But when it comes to access to health care, in order to comport with the Constitution and with our shared American values of freedom and equal rights, say that you trust women. And then try actually doing it.

FYI: Light Blogging Ahead!

We'll be a little less visible over the next few weeks, up through the end of the Thanksgiving week at least, as we work on moving our offices.

Expect posting to be pretty light in the meantime, but we'll be back in early December!