Press Releases

Kirsten Gillibrand Picked to Fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate Seat: NOW Looks Forward to Working with Another Strong Supporter of Women’s Rights

Released on January 23, 2009

Today New York Gov. David Paterson picked women’s rights supporter Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “She has big shoes to fill, and we are confident that she will be a senator who will continue the fight for the women, girls and families of New York and the nation,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “We are pleased a pro-choice woman has been appointed, and we expect that Gillibrand will take up key issues where Clinton left off.”

NOW Cheers Repeal of Global Gag Rule As First Step toward Worldwide Reproductive Justice

Released on 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.”

Goodyear Tire Gets Away with Pay Discrimination, But Lilly Ledbetter Wins the Day

Released on January 22, 2009

Tonight the Senate passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by a bipartisan vote of 61 to 36, vindicating Lilly Ledbetter’s long search for redress after 19 years of pay discrimination.

“This is an important first step in our efforts to undo years of backsliding on the right to be paid a fair and equitable wage,” said National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy. “The Ledbetter bill will allow redress for workers with the energy and willpower to seek redress in the courts, but we have a long way to go before we have fair pay for women, and laws with real teeth.”

Celebrating 36 Years of Roe v. Wade, A New Era for Reproductive Rights

Released on January 22, 2009

NOW President Kim Gandy says, “As we return to national leaders who support women’s rights, we anticipate a stronger backlash and more virulent attack on women’s reproductive freedom. But nothing will diminish our determination to restore the rights we’ve lost.”

Senate Confirms Champion of Women, Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State

Released on January 21, 2009

Today feminists across the United States and around the globe are applauding President Barack Obama for his nomination of Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State and the Senate for its swift, bipartisan confirmation. The lopsided 94-2 vote demonstrates that Clinton’s experience and intelligence inspire respect and confidence among her colleagues.