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.
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.
Monday, 3/30, at 5:30: Pass out signature ad packets
Wednesday, 4/1, at 9am: Join us at NCWU's Women's Advocacy Day (WAD)
Thursday, 4/16, at 7pm: Movie Night at Renee's. Email president@raleighnow.org for directions. or to rsvp.
Tuesday, 5/5, at 7pm: Raleigh NOW meeting
Tuesday, 6/2, at 7pm: Raleigh NOW meeting
Friday, June 19: National NOW Conference in Indianapolis. Join us!
NOW Cheers Repeal of Global Gag Rule As First Step toward Worldwide Reproductive Justice
January 23, 2009
"President Obama took the side of justice today," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "For eight years the Global Gag Rule has forced international family planning organizations to make an impossible choice between providing comprehensive reproductive health care, and receiving funds that enable them to help women in need. Women around the world have died as a result of this heartless policy."
See whole article at http://www.now.org/press/01-09/01-23-b.html. See a Raleigh NOW article from 2005 on the Global Gag Rule at www.raleighnow.org, under Newsletters (top left column).
Monday, Jan 19, 2009 at 10:40am
Please join Raleigh NOW for the MLK march. We'll march together with NOW signs (and/or our big banner), as we do every year. We'll meet on the Edenton St. side of the Raleigh Capital, and join the marchers from there. March begins at 11am. Please bring kids if you would like. We'll have some kids with us. In addition, a teen group from PP is coming. Read about Raleigh's MLK celebration (which includes much more than just the MLK march) at www.king-raleigh.org/welcome.cfm and http://www.king-raleigh.org/events/body.cfm
Thursday, Jan 22, from 12-1pm
Also, please come to the Roe rally in Raleigh on Thursday, Jan 22, from 12-1pm. Contact president@raleighnow.org for details.
* 2008 *
Wed., Dec 10, 6-8pm - Phone banking for 2009 Signature Ad
Tue., Dec 16, 6-8pm - Phone banking for 2009 Signature Ad
Thurs, Jan 8, 6-8pm - Last phone banking
Please call 539-7702 if you'd like to help phone bank, or get your name in the Signature Ad.
* 2009 *
Tue., Jan 6 – Raleigh NOW Meeting
Mon., Jan 12 – last day to mail names for signature ad
Mon., Jan 19 – MLK March downtown Raleigh
Tue., Feb 3 – Raleigh NOW Meeting
Raleigh NOW meets at the UUFR on Wade Ave on the first Tuesday of each month. We participate with much enthusiasm in NC NOW's pro-choice signature ad fundraiser.
Every year, North Carolina NOW takes over the entire centerfold of the Independent weekly newspaper. We print a big list of names of local people who support women’s reproductive rights. The ad is distributed to all of the NC State Senators and Representatives. This commemorates Roe v. Wade, and also raises money for our lobbyist here in North Carolina. Please contact us at president@raleighnow.org if you would like to participate.