NARAL: Anti-choice lawmakers on the verge of hijacking health-care reform effort

September 2009    From the desk of     Kelli Conlin: Dear Jerin, This September, concern about health care swept the nation. We've waited for reform for so long, but now anti-choice lawmakers are threatening to hijack that reform by trying to ban abortion coverage in the new system - leaving women worse off under the new plan than they already are. See our call to action to contact New York's congressional delegation. This month we also experienced an exciting primary in New York, with pro-choice victories across the state. Congratulations to our friends and allies New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Long Island's Debi Rose, and Syracuse's Stephanie Miner. We're looking forward to the November 3 general election! We also welcomed a new corps of activists to NARAL Pro-Choice New York this month. As anti-choice forces mobilize around the annual "40 Days for Life" campaign, we're elated to welcome our own groundswell of pro-choice activists, ready to defend women's health and rights across New York. We're excited about our pro-choice victories and ready to combat the challenges head-on. As always, thanks for your support in advocating for the women of New York. For Choice, Kelli Conlin President   Health-Care Update Anti-choice lawmakers are on the verge of hijacking the health-care reform effort. As they stand now, the bills leave the Hyde amendment in place - so disappointingly, no federal funds will pay for abortion in a reformed system, except in extremely narrow circumstances. But because pro-choice forces don't have a numerical majority in Congress, the bill's authors agreed to a further compromise: in each health plan, federal money will be segregated so that none pays for abortion care. But for virulent anti-choice activists and their congressional allies, compromise is not good enough. They are trying to ban abortion coverage completely in the new system, leaving women who currently have abortion coverage even worse off. We've compromised plenty - we'd have wanted a complete reversal of the Hyde amendment, but we settled because we care about the whole health-reform effort. But the other side will settle for nothing less than a complete ban of abortion in the new system - meaning women could actually LOSE coverage. This is not what we had in mind when we envisioned health-care reform. Sadly, the momentum in Congress seems to be on the side of restricting women's coverage. Now is the time for you to contact members of the New York delegation. Contact Sens. Charles Schumer (202-224-6542) and Kirsten Gillibrand (202-224-4451) today and tell them that women must not be left worse off under health-care reform than we are today.     New York State Primary Victories After such a historic 2008 election, it would have been tempting to sit back and relax this year. But since we know that change is also local, we geared up again and got active in municipal races across the state. NARAL Pro-Choice New York is proud to have endorsed New York City Council Speaker and long-time champion of women's health Christine Quinn. We also worked hard for Debi Rose, who ousted anti-choice incumbent Ken Mitchell on the North Shore of Staten Island. We knocked on doors, called voters, and raised awareness about where the candidates stand on reproductive rights issues. Upstate, congrats to endorsed candidate Stephanie Miner, who won a four-way Democratic Primary, taking her one step closer to becoming the first woman ever elected Mayor of Syracuse! On to November 3 and the general election, where we will bring home pro-choice victories from Brooklyn to Buffalo!     Welcoming New Activsists Welcome to the more than 30 new activists in NARAL Pro-Choice New York's Activist Leadership Circle. Members of the Circle meet monthly to discuss current reproductive health issues, conduct activist efforts, and develop new advocacy initiatives and campaigns.  These core activists are students, health-care providers, lawyers, non-profit professionals, artists, and long-time advocates, hailing from all across New York City. After completing a series of activist training sessions this month, the group has already canvassed for the City Council primary campaigns of Debi Rose and Christine Quinn. And we've only just begun… Want to get involved with the Activist Leadership Circle or find out about our many volunteer opportunities? Contact our Community Organizer at lhoward@prochoiceny.org.       It's National Sex-Ed Week of Action! There is more than enough of the wrong kind of "sex education" out there – like the new website Sense & Sexuality just launched by the anti-feminist organization Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute. Gems on this site include: "Having more than five oral sex partners has been associated with throat cancer" and "No vaccine prevents a broken heart." Yes, it says that. National Sex-Ed Week of Action couldn't come at a better time. Because young people don't need lies and scare tactics, but accurate, effective information, on October 13 NARAL Pro-Choice New York and our partners at the Sex Ed Alliance of New York City (SEANYC) will host Sex Education in the City, a community forum and panel discussion to address the lack of comprehensive sex education in New York City. Come and find out how you can help ensure that all students in NYC get the facts they deserve.  Our Calendar of Events Tell your friends about the Choice Action Network. If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for the Choice Action Network.

Action Alert: Call Congress about Health Care Reform

Call today. Call a week from today. And then keep calling, week after week, until Congress passes health care reform that protects every woman. It's the only way to fight back against the anti-choice extremists driving the debate. We'll make it easy. Promise. You've seen them carrying signs and shouting down senators at town hall meetings all summer. You've watched them try to derail the debate on news shows with distortions and outright lies. Opponents of health care reform — and especially those fighting against women's health — have been well-funded, loud, and aggressive. That's what we've all witnessed, but what really worries me is what's been going on behind the scenes. Groups that want to defeat health care reform, led by anti-choice extremists who are desperate to use legislation to block women's access to care, have been lobbying Congress for months. And the worst part is that lawmakers are listening. Just yesterday, the New York Times reported that health care reform could prohibit private insurance companies from covering abortion care — even those that currently do so. Anti-choice extremists aren't just trying to deny uninsured women access to reproductive care — they're fighting to make sure that women whose private plans currently cover abortion care lose their access as well. Here's the situation we face: right now, senators are hearing a lot more often from opponents of women's health than they are from people like you and me. Make no mistake — Planned Parenthood has been working with legislators day and night to make sure health care reform improves access and quality of care for women everywhere. But when it comes to hearing from regular people, the contact with voters that matters most to members of Congress, we're getting out-hustled, outnumbered, and just plain drowned out. We can't let this happen. Women across the country are counting on us. Even though you may already have called, e-mailed, or written your senators — we need you to do it again. Call your senators today and tell them to stand up for women's health. And this is the important part: we need you to commit to keeping up our side of the debate by calling once a week until health care reform that protects women is a reality. I realize that asking you to call once a week is a lot. But we won't get a second chance at this. I know that I don't have to tell you how dangerous the current situation is for women. If lawmakers hear so much from anti-choice zealots, and so little from the majority of us who want to fix our broken system to preserve and expand access to complete reproductive care, women's health is severely threatened. The only way to fight back against the anti-choice extremists who are trying to hijack health care reform is to keep calling, week after week. My colleagues at Planned Parenthood are making it as easy for you as possible. We'll even send you a text reminder that will walk you through the call — it's easy! You know as well as I do that our opponents are riled up and extremely motivated. They know that health care reform legislation will help define the future of women's health care for a generation or more. They won't let up until the final vote is cast — so we can't, either. Please, make the call today — and then keep calling 'til we get it done. Thank you for standing strong with us. Sincerely, Cecile Richards, President Planned Parenthood Federation of America P.S. We need to do all we can to make sure that the chorus of anti-choice voices lobbying Congress can't hijack health care reform to push their agenda. That's why it's so important for you to get your friends, colleagues, and family involved. Send them this note (or post it to your Facebook page) to spread the word: Stand tall for women's health. Anti-choice groups are trying to hijack health care reform. If our lawmakers hear more from their side, and little from the rest of us who want to fix our broken system, we let women's health fall into severely threatened territory. We have the power to tell Congress that protections for women's health cannot be cut out of health care reform. The best way to have an impact is to make a phone call to your senators — Planned Parenthood has made it quick and easy to do. I'm calling my senators now. Will you call, too? Click here: http://www.ppaction.org/network/hcr09callvisibility.html?source=hcr09visib_e1_ppol visit plannedparenthood.org © 2009 Planned Parenthood® Federation of America | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Arrangements for Clifton Maloney, Congresswoman Maloney's husband, From Trudy Mason

Clifton Maloney was a man who enjoyed beating the odds. At the age of 50 he took up running marathons. He went on to complete twenty. He climbed five of the famous 7 Summits, the tallest peaks on the seven continents.  At the age of 71, he set a record by becoming the oldest man to summit Cho Oyu, an altitude of nearly 27,000 feet. Then, after safely descending to Base Camp 2, Clifton Maloney died quietly in his sleep on September 25, 2009.

It is said that some 80 percent of those who die at such a high altitude on such difficult terrain must simply be left in place.  But now, against long odds, Clifton Maloney's body has been successfully recovered from the 23,000 foot level of Cho Oyu, moved to Katmandu in Nepal, and is ready to be placed on a Qatar Airlines flight for the journey home to his family. His wife of 33 years, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and strangers alike, from senior citizens groups who were grateful for Mr. Maloney's efforts to build affordable senior housing to President Barack Obama, who phoned Congresswoman Maloney at home.  President Obama offered comforting words, noting that Clif had died doing something he so deeply loved.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the U.S. Department of State provided the invaluable assistance extended to all American families who lose a loved one abroad. Former President Bill Clinton, New York State Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver all called with words of comfort and support. Senators and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle reached out.  New York City Council Speaker Quinn, New York State Senate President Pro Tem Malcolm Smith, and dozens of elected officials on the federal, state, and city level have offered their condolences.  Hundreds of friends, neighbors and New Yorkers from all walks of life have expressed their heartfelt sympathies to the Maloney family. In a gesture that Congresswoman Maloney found particularly meaningful, the Emerald Society of the Fire Department of New York -- New York's Bravest -- reached out to offer to have its bagpipers at Clif Maloney's funeral service. Congresswoman Maloney said she was deeply grateful to all the many people who made the body's return possible, including countless individuals along the way whose names we will never know.  She said: "I am so grateful to those who have helped, including the Chinese government.   When you see the professionalism that is exhibited by our American public servants around the world in times of crisis, whether it be enormous in scale like 9-11, or a tragedy that affects but a single family, it makes you so proud and so profoundly grateful to be an American." The funeral will be held next Friday, October 9th, 2009, at the Brick Church on Park Avenue between East 91st and East 92nd Streets in Manhattan.  The Maloney family will be receiving friends at the family home this Thursday, October 1st from 2:00 -4:00 pm and from 6:00 -- 8:00 pm.  They will also receive friends next Wednesday, October 7th from 2:00 -- 4:00 pm and from 6:00 -- 8:00 pm.

From Twitter 09-29-2009

• 01:11:13: Thanks for the RTs & feminist love @vanessacmueller @RockinL7 @blogdiva @taralconley @LisaMaatz @denomshi
  
• 01:13:04: Awesome introduction post by @theundomestic on: National Organization for Women NY State Young Feminist Task Force blog http://bit.ly/4vKX5R
  
• 01:14:38: RT @rosiered23 Let's talk Equal Rights Amendment: http://bit.ly/r79UQ #fem2 #women
  
• 01:18:43: RT @kklausser "On behalf of men, we are ready for ladies to take the reigns because we are exhausted" Stephen Colbert #halfthesky
  
• 03:56:44: RT @sexgenderbody New post by arvan @ http://sexgenderbody.com Japanese Women: ‘We Want Greater Gender Equality’ http://tinyurl.com/ye87pbu
  
• 03:57:08: RT @sexgenderbody UnderstandingPrejudice.org: Ambivalent Sexism Inventory http://ff.im/-8TLai
  
• 12:05:22: Sun, Oct 25: NOW-NYS Convention. Don't miss special speaker, Ellen Snortland, Author of Beauty Bites Beast: REM.. http://bit.ly/1US1mG
  
• 12:34:57: Action Alert: Bad Health Care Bill Penalizes Women: If you are having trouble viewing this email, please read i.. http://bit.ly/KWX5a
  
• 13:57:33: RT @cancermoonwolf Reading: HBO Network Show Entourage Sanctions Domestic Violence and Murder http://bit.ly/HXr0u
  
• 13:57:52: RT @lgbtlife I ain?t against gay people. I?m just against it being promoted to kids. #lgbthttp://bit.ly/cuIcb
  
• 14:35:57: A little greeting, a little gathering.: Posted by: Ben SiegelDear One and All,I'm glad to see how fast this blo.. http://bit.ly/2kFhy
  
• 17:04:53: Wed, Oct 21: Happiest Hour Comedy Night: More Laughter, Less Rape: Please join us for a night of comedy in supp.. http://bit.ly/zZGlm
  
• 19:04:04: Debut of Teen Dating Violence Prevention Play "Texting 4 Life": Organization:Start Strong BronxTopic:Debut of T.. http://bit.ly/39vbJM
  
• 19:30:56: The cooler weather & fewer day hours are making me melancholy
  
• 19:31:27: RT @NARAL "Comprehensive bill that would help women & couples prevent unintended pregnancy" introed in #Ohio: http://bit.ly/10nRYx
  
• 19:32:11: RT @sexgenderbody Where Are the Women? Not in Michigan Law Review (Again) http://ff.im/-8WACu
  
• 21:34:21: Bring It to Anti-Choice, Anti-Birth Control Bob McDonnell!:   Thanks to the generosity of 1,319 supporters.. http://bit.ly/QG7Iz
  

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Bring It to Anti-Choice, Anti-Birth Control Bob McDonnell!

Thanks to the generosity of 1,319 supporters nationwide, we now have a real opportunity to expose the right wing, anti-choice agenda of extremist Bob McDonnell by sending 77,385 mail pieces to pro-choice swing voters in Virginia.  But the mailing is just the beginning.  With anti-choice Bob McDonnell leading by as little as four points and conceding that this race is tough,1 now is the time to pull out all the stops to elect pro-choice Creigh Deeds. Please help us by donating today. A recent poll showed that half of younger women voters in Virginia have not heard about McDonnell's extreme anti-choice views.2 If we tell them the facts, they could make the difference in this race!  Please donate today!  With your gift today, we can work with our affiliate in Virginia to ramp up their get-out-the-vote plan for November – and resources permitting, we can help them develop letter-to-the-editor efforts, hold volunteer trainings, contact swing voters via email and social networks, and hold phone banks to call key Virginia voters. We must not allow anti-choice candidate Bob McDonnell to fool Virginia voters into thinking he's mainstream, and time is running out for us to reach those that can make the difference. Your support of this effort and all of our work makes a tremendous difference in the lives of women and their families. Sincerely, Nancy Keenan, President, NARAL Pro-Choice America 1"McDonnell Appears on FOX News Sunday," WashingtonPost.com, September 27, 2009 2"Young Women, Meet Young Bob McDonnell," WashingtonPost.com, September 23, 2009 Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

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Tell your friends about the Choice Action Network.

V-DAY, Vagina Monologues & SAFER, Students Active for Ending Rape team up!

http://database.safercampus.org/drupal-5.5/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=50&qid=9103

We've been telling everyone that SAFER winning IdeaBlob would bring us all closer to ending rape on college campuses. Here's why:

18 to 24 year olds are the most coveted demographic for advertisers and interest groups alike, and SAFER's biggest challenge in the last few years has been cutting through the noise to reach the students who want to make change on their campus.

Now, we finally have the answer! SAFER is thrilled to announce that we will be partnering with V-Day this year to get every college group that performs the Vagina Monologues on campus to also analyze their school's sexual assault policy.

The women who perform the Vagina Monologues are already campus leaders when it comes to sexual assault awareness, but many of them don't know that they could be making change at their very own school. Partnering with V-Day, we will reach more than 700 groups, at least 21,000 students, and this project will create the first ever nation-wide network of students working together to change sexual assault policies and programs.

V-Day has very generously contributed seed money to the project, but we need another $20,000 to get it off the ground.

That's why your IdeaBlob vote,
http://database.safercampus.org/drupal-5.5/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=50&qid=9103, and your forwarding of this email, are so important. We have an opportunity to open up a whole new era in the campaign to end sexual assault – please help us make that leap by voting today.

And if you've already voted, please send this email to everyone you believe wants to end campus sexual assault – we're going to need their support too!

Thanks,
SAFER

To vote, please visit this link:
http://database.safercampus.org/drupal-5.5/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=50&qid=9103

When you click on the 'VOTE' button, it will ask you to login/register. If you are not already registered, include your name, email address, and a password. Ideablob will send you an email to confirm your registration – this is a very important step in the process, so please make sure you fully register. The email might go to your spam box so please check for it there.

After you confirm, click on the above link one more time. Then 'VOTE' for our idea!

Debut of Teen Dating Violence Prevention Play "Texting 4 Life"

Organization:
Start Strong Bronx

Topic:
Debut of Teen Dating Violence Prevention Play "Texting 4 Life"

Description:
Save The Date!
Start Strong Bronx And Partners Pregones Theater, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center And Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Will Debut Teen Dating Violence Prevention Play Texting 4 Life

When: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Pregones Theater, 575 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY

What: Preview performance of a new interactive play, Texting 4 Life, that invites audience members to help determine the outcome. Participants get a chance to think critically about dating, the social uses of technology and what behaviors make up a healthy relationship. Performances are followed by frank talk with qualified counselors and peer educators. This play was developed through creative workshops with Bronx middle school students.

Who: All who work, live, interact with youth: youth service providers, health care workers, teachers, parents, grandparents, clergy, law enforcement officers, lawyers, coaches, etc.

For more background information, please download the document below.


Download:

    http://www.nycagainstrape.org/sps/go.cgi?c=54OkoiX3M2EvzmYZnZlo
    (655.58K Bytes)

Wed, Oct 21: Happiest Hour Comedy Night: More Laughter, Less Rape

Please join us for a night of comedy in support of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault at the Gotham Comedy Club on the evening of October 21st. Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Time: 7:30PM Location: Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street (Between 7th and 8th Avenues) Purchase Tickets The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault Envisions a City Free From Sexual Violence. The Alliance Leads New York City's Efforts To Prevent Sexual Violence and Ensures That Survivors of Sexual Violence Have Access to the Best Care. Advance Tickets: $15 Cover + 2 Beverage Minimum per Person ($10 of your ticket purchase is tax deductible!) At the Door: $25 Cover + 2 Beverage Minimum per Person ($20 of your ticket purchase is tax deductible!) FOR RESERVATIONS AND/OR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 212.367.9000 Additional Donations gladly accepted at: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BUxFu8MR0THmpdkL%2FiwXeDK1IBn9Mb79 ABOUT THE ALLIANCE: Our mission is to build the capacity of communities, organizations, and institutions to advance the right to live free from sexual violence and reduce the harm it causes individuals, families, and society. For more information contact the Alliance at contact-us@svfreenyc.org, or call (212) 229-0345 Copyright © 2009 by The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault · Unsubscribe