Tag Archives: reviews

I was just 13 years old when my abusive stepfather shot me in the back. I may have survived, but there are too many women — young and old — who have died at the hands of a domestic abuser armed with a gun.

The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that the female victim will die. Five times!

We don’t have to accept this. I’m joining 20 other domestic violence advocates and survivors next week in Washington, D.C. to push our senators to support common-sense measures that would help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and stalkers.

Are you with me? If so, click here to automatically sign the petition to your senators asking them to co-sponsor Senator Amy Klobuchar’s bill that would protect victims of abuse from gun violence.

No one should have to experience what I experienced. No domestic abuser or stalker should be able to get a gun. It’s that simple.

Sen. Klobuchar’s Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act would help fix that by prohibiting domestic abusers and stalkers from buying or having guns. Now is the time to push our senators to support the bill as our advocacy day on Capitol Hill approaches.

If you want to help save women’s lives and make our communities safer, I’m asking you to please stand with me. Automatically sign the petition now:

http://act.everytown.org/sign/klobuchar-bill

The more supporters who take action in the next few days, the more powerful our message will be on Capitol Hill next week.

Thanks for taking action,

Clai Lasher-Sommers
Keene, New Hampshire

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#Women’s Health Protection Act

07/27/2014 Nativegrl77

Click to share this image on Facebook and show Congress how many of us stand for women’s health.

After years of playing defense against extremist politicians who’ve been intent on attacking the health and rights of women and families, we’re going on the offense.

In just two days, nearly 100 providers, advocates, and Center staff will be on Capitol Hill to build a groundswell of support for the Women’s Health Protection Act—federal legislation that would prohibit states from passing laws that chip away at women’s access to abortion services.

You can join us by sharing this important image on Facebook to declare that you stand for women’s health.

Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been fighting for our rights to safe and legal abortion in the courts—and we’ve been winning.

But now we’re adding a new strategy: proactive legislation from the federal government that will prevent dangerous and unnecessary restrictions from passing in the first place.

Help us show Congress that you stand behind the Women’s Health Protection Act and share this image on Facebook:

http://bit.ly/istandforwomenshealth

Thanks, as always, for all you do,

Nancy Northup
President & CEO

PS – Already, we have 146 co-sponsors of the Women’s Health Protection Act in the House and the Senate. After Advocacy Day, we expect to have many more. Show that you’re with us by sharing this important image on Facebook right now.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#WhatWomenNeed ~~ a repost

07/27/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

A List Of Policy Priorities For Women and Families

Every mother values the personal touch of a hand-written card or a bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day that reminds them they are appreciated. (We at the Progress Report wouldn’t dream of committing this dangerous oversight.) But from economic security to health and reproductive rights to expanding opportunities for leadership and career advancement, millions of women and their families are at a disadvantage. With that in mind, here is a list of some essential policies to show the moms out there we appreciate them not just on Mother’s Day, but all year round. It’s time women and families have a fair shot at getting ahead, not just getting by.

1. Raise The Federal Minimum Wage To $10.10 Per Hour.

Women make up approximately two-thirds of all minimum wage workers. Raising the wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would put over $4,000 in the pockets of a full-time minimum wage worker, and it would boost wages for about 4.7 million mothers. What’s more, families benefit from a wage increase: sixty percent of women are the primary or co-bread winners in their households. More money in their paychecks means more for their families.

minwage_mothers

2. Ensure Equal Pay For Equal Work.

Women are consistently paid less than their male counterparts and make up a disproportionate share of low-wage workers. Raising the minimum wage is certainly a step in helping hardworking women support their families. Enacting stronger equal pay protections is another — it will hold employers more accountable for their practices, ensure vigorous enforcement, and empower women to uncover discrimination and negotiate for salaries they deserve. Last month, President Obama took executive action to combat discriminatory pay practices among federal contractors. But unfortunately, most Republicans in Congress continue to oppose a similar measure for workers nationwide and in some cases hold extremely backward or insensitive views on the issue.

3. Expand Access To Paid Sick And Family Leave.

Times have changed since the Mad Men era, but our workplace policies have failed to keep up. Too many women face an impossible choice between fulfilling their family or work responsibilities. Today, less than one in three children have a stay-at-home parent compared to about 55 percent a century ago, but only 11 percent of workers have access to paid family leave through their employer.. Paid family leave legislation would provide workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child or seriously ill family member, or to recover from their own serious illness. Nearly two-thirds of voters support this plan.

4. Expand Access To Affordable, High-Quality Pre-School.

The lack of quality, affordable pre-school or child care options has an enormous economic impact on families. In fact, only 69 percent of 4-year-olds in America are enrolled in early childhood education, which leaves the U.S. ranked 28th among developed countries. Expanding access to high-quality preschool and child care fulfills the dual purposes of enabling mothers (and fathers) to find and maintain jobs and helping children prepare for and achieve the best outcomes in school. For every dollar invested in early childhood education, program participants and society as a whole receive $7 in benefits.

5. Ensure Reproductive Rights For All Women.

The Affordable Care Act has already represented a major victory for millions of women, including by prohibiting insurers from charging women more than men, and requiring insurers to cover maternity care, birth control, and preventative services like mammograms. But when it comes to reproductive health, mothers–and women who deserve the freedom to choose if or when they become mothers–are seeing their rights taken away. Over the past three years, states have enacted 205 abortion restrictions — more than during the entire previous decade. And this is in spite of the fact that the national abortion rate is at an historic low, not because of these laws, but more likely because more women have access to birth control.

repro

BOTTOM LINE: It’s time we support policies that make women and their families more secure. Our country would be better off if we give women the same opportunities men have to get ahead in their jobs, get access to education, and have control over their health decisions. That is would be a truly special — and very popular — Mother’s Day gift.

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#YesAllWomen

07/27/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Understanding The Culture Of Violence Towards Women

In the wake of the mass shooting at UC Santa Barbara, the hashtag #YesAllWomen (a response to the “not all men” meme) became a venue on Twitter and beyond for women to share personal stories and experiences about misogyny, domestic violence, and violence toward women. One quote from Margaret Atwood that reverberated throughout the conversation summed up women’s worst fear: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”

Our colleagues at Think Progress put together this infographic that paints a grim picture:

CREDIT: Adam Peck/ThinkProgress

BOTTOM LINE: More than one in three women will experience rape, violence, and/or stalking at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetimes. #YesAllWomen has started a serious and vital conversation about misogyny and violence against women, issues that too often are either ignored or treated unseriously in our society.