Press Releases

Celebrating 37 Years of Roe v. Wade: NOW Asserts that Abortion Care is a Human Right

Released on January 22, 2010

Today we celebrate the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which recognized a woman’s constitutional right to legal abortion. However, we recognize that in 2010 women’s ability to exercise this basic right is under attack as never before, not only by domestic terrorism but also in the halls of Congress. Just last summer, Wichita physician Dr. George Tiller was murdered as he attended church services, and today his admitted killer is being allowed to make the novel argument that his heinous act was not murder because he was driven by religious zeal. In Washington, after months of debate over health care reform, we find ourselves wondering whether the leadership in Congress and the president we worked so hard to elect in 2008 will ultimately stand up to the Catholic Bishops and other extremists bent on dismantling Roe and reject their demands for sweeping anti-abortion provisions in the reform bill. More than ever, we must fight for women’s fundamental human right to have access to safe and legal abortion.

NOW Congratulates Former President Kim Gandy on new VP Post at Feminist Majority

Released on January 12, 2010

The National Organization for Women congratulates former NOW president Kim Gandy on her new position as vice president and general counsel at the Feminist Majority and the Feminist Majority Foundation. Gandy served in the national NOW office for 22 years, including two terms as the organization’s president, ending in July 2009. She recently completed a resident fellowship at the Harvard Institute of Politics, where she taught a series of seminars on “Winning Across Progressive Movements.”

Senate Health Care Bill Passes With Unacceptable Restrictions on Women’s Rights; There Is Still Time To Reverse the Damage

Released on December 24, 2009

The U.S. Senate sent a last-minute holiday “gift” which half the country will find difficult to accept. In a disappointing move that sets women’s reproductive rights back, the U.S. Senate voted on final passage of its version of health care reform. Last weekend Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sealed the 60th vote by caving into Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-Neb.) demands with a “compromise” that would eventually do away with private as well as public insurance coverage for abortion care. This dangerous provision not only further stigmatizes abortion care but it makes it nearly impossible for any health plans to offer comprehensive coverage.