The House voted today to block a law that was passed by the elected representatives of the District of Columbia—the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act—that is designed to ensure that D.C. residents are not subject to religious discrimination because of their reproductive health care decisions.
Author Mike DeBonis writes for The Washington Post: “Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, called the deadlock a “dramatic escalation of the Republican leadership’s war on women.”
After all but four Senate Democrats voted to filibuster the anti-trafficking bill over the abortion provision Tuesday, McConnell pledged to continue debate until the deadlock is broken — thus pushing back the Lynch confirmation vote, perhaps until April.”
O’Neill’s passion about public policy that works for the benefit of women is evident. She talks about every point with a conviction that seems born directly out of personal experience. While much of our conversation focused on economic justice, that’s just one of the six core issues NOW works to change. Constitutional equality, reproductive rights, racial justice, LGBT rights, and ending violence against women are also high on the NOW priority list. O’Neill says the equality for women can’t truly be achieved unless all of those issues are addressed.
Immigration is a feminist issue. That’s why I’m adding my voice to the growing number of women who are telling House Republican leadership to wise up and stop blocking reform of our badly broken immigration system.
An all-out assault on women’s reproductive health and rights continues in many state legislatures — a stark reminder that elections have consequences. The Tea Party has wormed its way into prominence on the state level, resulting in an avalanche of abortion restrictions on the state level. Now, 55 percent of women of reproductive age in the US live in states hostile to abortion rights, a dramatic 22 percent increase from 2000.