issue: Legislation

154 House Republicans Tell Sick Kids ‘Get Lost.’ NOW President Kim Gandy says ‘Back at You!’

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NOW President Kim Gandy says of the House vote that failed to override President Bush’s SCHIP veto: “NOW decries the cruelty of denying the most basic health care to children whose parents cannot afford health insurance. The 156 House members — 154 Republicans and two Democrats – who voted against the override have let down not only the vulnerable children of this nation, but also put an undue burden on single parents and low-income families who can only pray their children do not get sick or hurt.”

NOW Urges House to Maintain Broad Protections Against Employment Discrimination

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Just before it was slated to go to the House floor for a vote, the civil rights bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was stripped of protections for the transgender community. NOW opposes this weakened version and encourages sponsors of the original ENDA to ask House leaders to withdraw the weaker bill and support the more inclusive bill.

Expansion of Hate Crimes Law Necessary for Women’s Safety

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By a vote of 60 to 39, the Senate passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would permit federal prosecution of hate crimes based on a person’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

NOW Deplores Fetal Homicide Charges in Ocean City Case, “This is a job for social services, not the D.A.”

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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is urging its Maryland members to speak out against a rush to judgment in the Ocean City stillbirth case. Christy Freeman is being charged under a 2005 state “fetal homicide” law that makes it illegal to kill “a viable fetus,” despite a provision in the law that was intended to protect pregnant women from prosecution for actions that result in their own fetus’ death, such as abortion.