A message from Mara Gandal-Powers

Help defend birth control from Trump this #ThxBirthControl Day.

Dear Friends,

Every year on #ThxBirthControl day, we’re reminded of how grateful we are to have birth control in our lives, whether we use it ourselves, or it’s our friends, family, and loved ones who rely on it. Because across the country, across income levels and gender identities, people use birth control to decide whether and when to have children, to focus on our careers or educations, to manage medical conditions, and so, so much more.

But this #ThxBirthControl day, we’re more thankful than ever.

Because just last week, the Trump-Pence administration unleashed its latest attack on birth control—waiting until the day after the midterms to unveil a finalized version of the rules it initially introduced last year, hoping no one would notice.

But we noticed.

We are already suing them for the initial rules, because we won’t let rules that would allow virtually any employer or university to deny you birth control coverage, for almost any reason stand. Now we’re prepared to take on the new rules too. The threat these rules pose is devastating.
We know because over the last year we’ve talked to hundreds of people who have told us how important birth control is in their lives and communities. And now we want to hear from you.

This #ThxBirthControl Day, tell us why you’re grateful for birth control to help us fight back against the Trump-Pence administration’s latest attacks.
Sharing your birth control story with us today allows us to tell a fuller picture of the role birth control plays in our lives, and to show how attacks on birth control are attacks on our communities. In short, sharing your story helps us protect birth control, and defend it from attacks like the Trump-Pence administration’s latest rules.

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This year, we’ve already heard from Mason, a non-binary person in Washington, D.C., who told us that birth control is important for them because it makes them feel more comfortable with their gender identity: “As a trans person, having my menstrual cycle is something that doesn’t align with my gender identity.”
We heard from Rylie, a college student from Indiana, who’s forced to pay for her birth control out-of-pocket because her mom, whose insurance she’s on, works at a religious school that refuses to cover birth control. On having to pay for birth control out-of-pocket, she told us: “It may not seem like much, but I don’t have much income, being a full-time student, and I’m trying to save money to cover the costs of my education as well.”

 
We heard from Allison, a queer woman who wound up in the hospital and almost lost her life — and now uses birth control to avoid another life-threatening trip to the hospital. “For me, birth control is a medical necessity,” she said.
We’ve heard from people across the country — and now we want to hear from you. This #ThxBirthControl day, help us fight back against the Trump-Pence administration by telling us: Why are you thankful for birth control?
Sincerely,
Mara Gandal-Powers
Director of Birth Control Access and Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center
We the Resistance is our fight to protect our rights and freedoms and to defend the most vulnerable among us through powerful collective action. Every conversation you have with a loved one about the issues important to you, every call you make to Congress, every rally you attend is a part of that resistance. Join us — sign on to the We The Resistance manifesto.

A year of investigations have revealed human rights abuses, including wrongful arrest and torture by police. With our allies in Indonesia, TuK INDONESIA and WALHI, we’ve just released a new report that exposes devastating human rights abuses tied to notorious logging and palm oil company Korindo.
What’s more, we’ve traced Korindo wood all the way to the construction sites of the new Tokyo 2020 Olympic venues, and followed Korindo’s money to major banks including Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).
Tell SMBC that they must stop financing ANY company implicated in human rights abuses and rainforest destruction.

I am very concerned about your bank’s willingness to finance companies that are destroying rainforests and abusing human rights in Indonesia. As a multinational company, SMBC Group has a responsibility to respect human rights and protect the environment for future generations. SMBC should strengthen its financing policies and explicitly prohibit financing of activities by clients which violate laws or negatively impact rainforests, peatlands, Indigenous and customary rights, or labor rights through their direct operations or supply chains.

The House of Representatives may have gotten the big headlines this week, but what happened in state legislatures across the country could be even more significant. Here’s the rundown on what happened in our 2018 Electoral Target and Watch List states:

• Democrats flipped six legislative chambers: Colorado Senate, Maine Senate, Minnesota House, New Hampshire House and Senate, and New York Senate
• Democrats broke supermajorities in four chambers: North Carolina House and Senate, Michigan Senate, and Pennsylvania Senate
• Democrats made additional gains in seven legislative chambers: Ohio House and Senate, Michigan House, Texas House and Senate, and Pennsylvania House and Senate

“The 2018 Election Was a Body Blow to Partisan Gerrymandering”
— Slate

Many of these victories were a direct result of the nearly 175,000 contributions this community made to invest in restoring our democracy.

But this is just the beginning of our fight. Will you help us keep pushing to flip state legislative seats and end Republican gerrymandering?

Democrats have already flipped more than 350 state legislative seats across the country. This is HUGE: The more seats we control, the likelier we are to get fair maps during 2021 redistricting. This is all the more impressive when you consider that Democrats were elected on maps that are severely gerrymandered to favor Republican candidates.

All told, Tuesday will go down in the history books as the day Democrats started turning around Republicans’ decade of disgraceful gerrymandering.

But we still have a long way to go — Republicans are still in charge of redistricting in more than 40% of congressional districts. There will be special elections, a big election in Virginia in 2019, and more seats to flip in 2020.

— Patrick democraticredistricting.com

• Life begins at conception. (Nov 2012) 
• If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (Sep 2013)
• Voted YES on maintaining work requirement for welfare recipients. (Mar 2013)
• Require photo ID when using food stamps. (Feb 2014)
• Opposes churches providing birth control 
• Include pre-born human beings in 14th Amendment protection
• No family planning assistance that includes abortion 
• Endorsed by Club for Growth, for pro-growth stances. (Aug 2012)
• Opposes federal stimulus spending. (Sep 2012) 
• Opposes same-sex marriage
• Voted YES on workforce training by state block grants & industry partners
•   A-PLUS lets states escape No Child Left Behind. (Jul 2015)
• Vouchers break link of low-income and low-quality schools. (Oct 2015)
• Limit EPA oversight to allow mining over fishing. (Jun 2014)
• No EPA expansion of regulated waters. (Jul 2014)
• Let wind energy production tax credit expire. (Aug 2014)
• Drill for oil & gas in offshore OCS & Eastern Gulf of Mexico. (Jul 2016)
• Supports $23 billion invested in coal mining. (Nov 2012)
• Opposes regulating greenhouse gas emissions. (Sep 2012)
• Supports offshore energy production. (Sep 2012)
• Chain-link fences ok for holding kids of illegal immigrants. (Jun 2018)
• Audio of immigrants’ kids crying is “irrelevant hoopla”. (Jun 2018)
• Harder for illegals to get benefits & become citizens. (Oct 2012)
• Supports exiting US to apply for citizenship. (Sep 2012)
• Ban admission of Syrian refugees & any Syrian residents. (Nov 2015)
• Voted YES to ban DREAMer immigrants from military service. (Jun 2016)
• Doing nothing is not an option; more private sector options. (Nov 2012)
• Allow future workers to invest more of their own money. (Oct 2012)
• Supports personal retirement accounts. (Sep 2012)
• Rated 10% by ARA, indicating a pro-privatization stance. (Jan 2013)