NOW's purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men. This purpose includes, but is not limited to, equal rights and responsibilities in all aspects of citizenship, public service, employment, education, and family life, and it includes freedom from discrimination because of race, ethnic origin, age, marital status, sexual preference/orientation, or parenthood.
MEETINGS:
Your Chapter meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm at the UUFR on Wade Avenue in Raleigh.
TUE 9/29. 7 – 9pm. Health Care Reform: A Progressive Agenda forum (in Carrboro)
THUR 10/1. 6 – 8pm. Public issues forum to discuss efforts for equity and excellence in Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh.
Contact president@raleighnow.org for more information. Raleigh NOW is not organizing either of these events, but very interested in both issues - health care and education.
Upcoming Raleigh NOW meetings:
Tuesday, Sept 1, at 7pm
Tuesday, Oct 6, at 7pm
Tuesday, Nov 3, at 7pm
Tuesday, Dec 1, at 7pm
NC NOW State Conference - Saturday, Nov 7, at 9am in Charlotte
Phone banking for 2010 Signature Ad - early Dec. 2009
Saturday Aug 29, there were "Health Care Can't Wait" rallies in big cities across North Carolina. Some Raleigh NOW members attended the rally in Raleigh. I'd say over 500 people were there in favor of health care reform. People told stories of how the current system left them without insurange coverage and in many cases bankrupt as well. The Rev. William Barber, president of the state chapter of the NAACP, asked people to challenge distortions of what Obama's health care plan would do.
My favorite quote came from speaker Kay Zwan, whose son and husband both suffer from serious illnesses. "Disease doesn't discriminate but private insurance does."
It won't help us if the health care plan is compromised out of usefulness. NOW says that Single Payer would be best for women and families. At the national NOW conference in June 09, I learned that BCBS execs are rescinding policies (many against women) and routinely charge women more.
In testimony to the US House of Representatives, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) executives admitted some unconscionable behavior. They said they often rescind policies and it’s most often for breast cancer, caesarian related issues, etc. Donna Smith (SiCKO, American Patients United founder) said the insurance executives promised that they would stop discriminating against women, and stop charging more to women IF AND ONLY IF Americans are all forced to buy their private insurance. Read about this testimony at “Blue Cross praised employees who dropped sick policyholders, lawmaker says” at http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/17/business/fi-rescind17 and another article by Lisa Girion “Health Insurers refuse to stop rescission of coverage” at http://progressiveindependent.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=printer_friendly&forum=103&topic_id=40909
Smith also talked about how many women are uninsured. Smith said “In 2007—10.4 white women without health insurance. 19.5% of African American women (1 in 5) are uninsured. 32.1% of Latinas are uninsured. Plus, the Bush Administration’s cuts had made it harder to get claims processed. And 84% of claims are filed by women.”
Upcoming rallies:
Thursday, Sept 3, 6-7pm
State House Steps - 16 W. Jones St; Raleigh 27601
Host: Health Care for America NOW
Saturday, Sept 5, 9 am
Rally to Support the Public Option for Health Care Reform
"Let's gather outside Sen. Kay Hagan's office to thank her and our Triangle area congressmen for their support of true reform and putting people above politics and corporate profit. Bring your own handmade signs, posters, personal stories to share."
Terry Sandford Federal Building
311 New Bern Avenue; Raleigh
Questions: progressiveissuesnc@gmail.com
Please join us at our 'Fetal Personhood - What Would It Mean' event on Thursday, August 27, at 7pm in Raleigh.
The fetal personhood legislation is a bold move, and it goes far beyond making abortion illegal.
Fetal Personhood involves establishing that fetuses, even fertilized eggs, are "persons" under the protection of the U.S. Constitution. They define person as a human being at any stage of life, starting at fertilization! Learn what such a bill would mean to women and families with regard to birth control, miscarriage, pregnancy, birth, abortion, illness, and end of life issues, among other things.
Fetal personhood legislation has been passed at some level in various states across the US. See http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billhtml/SB0406.htm for the bill that passed the Senate in Montana.
Event: 'Fetal Personhood - What Would It Mean'
Date: 8/27/09, Thursday
Time: 7 p.m.
RSVP: president@raleighnow.org
Hope to see you there!
You may have read in the news or in our Raleigh NOW newsletter, about how the anti-choice rhetoric creates the situation where a person would feel justified in murdering a doctor (although I am further horrified even for a nutcase to murder the doctor in a church). Dr. George Tiller was murdered while serving at his church on Sunday, 5/31/09 in Wichita Kansas. Dr Tiller was one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks.
The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller this morning in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines.
If you want an email with the articles on Dr. Tiller, please email president@raleighnow.org. I encourage you to zip around the web to read other articles.
There is an interview with the awful Ann Coulter "dancing on George Tiller's grave". Go to http://www.examiner.com/x-5063-Womens-Issues-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Ann-Coulter-dances-on-George-Tillers-grave-Her-shocking-comments-on-Bill-OReilly Coulter characterizes his murder as 'terminating George Tiller in his 203rd trimester'. Her comments sicken me. It is her encouragement that makes a murderer feel justified in killing a doctor in cold blood in his church.
For a look from pro-choice perspective, see 'The "Pro-Life" Movement's Hot Rhetoric and Outright Lies' at http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/02/the-prolife-movements-hot-rhetoric-and-allout-lies?page=3. I had quoted blogger Amanda Marcotte in the last Raleigh NOW newsletter.
Also see a video: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/524/index.html, and read an article about it at PBS Examines "Abortion Providers Under Siege", at http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/18/video-pbs-examines-abortion-providers-under-siege. Blogger Emily Douglas calls this 'an exceptional segment about violence and harassment targeting abortion providers'.
I know one thing to do. At the National NOW conference in Indianapolis last weekend, Kansas NOW was selling t-shirts with a quote of George Tiller on the back. These were the shirts used by Kansas NOW's Martyr Guard at Dr. Tiller's funeral. On the back is one of Tiller's quotes 'Attitude is everything', with his birth and death date. I ordered one, and you can do so as well through www.ksnow.org.
Let's talk about what we can do to counter this culture of hate. Education panel, rally, protest? Email to president@raleighnow.org.
Our next meeting is Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 7pm.