Current Political Issues
Feb. 18, 2011: Take Action Now – Your Rights are in Jeopardy
In recent weeks an onslaught of anti-choice legislation seeking to roll back the clock on women’s reproductive rights has been introduced in Congress. From eliminating much needed family planning funding, to redefining rape and allowing hospitals to let pregnant women die, and more, the results of these bills, if passed, will be devastating. Please read more about what’s at stake, then stand with NWPC California and take action today by calling and emailing your Representative, and urging friends and family to do the same TODAY! Take action now.
Elimination of Domestic & International Family Planning Funds
The House has just voted to pass the Pence Amendment, which if passed in final consideration of the Continuing Resolution for FY 2011, would result in the elimination of $327 million in Title X Domestic Family Planning funding. Title X funding provides preventative family planning services such as contraception, cancer screenings, pre- and post-natal care, STD screenings, and more, for women, men and infants. Title X does not fund abortions. The Senate will vote on the Pence Amendment next, so please waste no time in calling your Senators and urging them to protect women’s basic health care!
While Title X currently does not fund abortion services, another bill, HR 217, “The Title X Abortion Prohibition Act”, if passed, would deny Title X funding to any family planning service provider who provides abortion services using non-Title X dollars, as many Title X-funded clinics currently do. Call your Representative and tell them that HR 217 is far-reaching, unnecessary, and would further eliminate vital health care services for women, men and children, particularly in communities with already limited access.
Furthermore, in consideration of the Continuing Resolution a massive 32% cut to International Family Planning programs and a prohibition on funding to UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) are expected to be proposed. Meanwhile, one woman continues to die every minute of every day worldwide, due to pregnancy-related complications.
It is estimated that for every $1 spent on family planning, the federal government saves $4 on unplanned governmental spending. Call your Representative and let them know that in these dire economic times and with simultaneous massive cuts to other women’s services, these cuts to and restrictions on preventative family planning programs, domestically and internationally, would not only be devastating to women, children and families, they also just don’t make economic sense!
HR 358: Protect Life Act
Contrary to the bill’s title, HR 358 would actually allow hospitals to refuse to save a pregnant woman’s life if doing so would pose a threat to the fetus. Call your Representative and demand that they stand up to protect women’s lives and vote NO on HR 358.
HR 3: The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
This heinous bill originally sought to redefine rape by classifying only some rape as “forcible”. While this particularly egregious language has been removed from the bill, if passed, the bill would permanently codify the Hyde Amendment, which currently restricts all federal funding from being used for abortions, but must be re-approved annually. If passed, the bill would also severely limit access to private health insurance plans that provide coverage for abortion, and are paid for with private dollars, by imposing new tax penalties on employers who offer these plans and individuals who choose these plans. Please call your Representative and tell them you won’t stand to see this discriminatory and dangerous bill pass.
Speaker of the House John Boehner has classified rolling back the clock on women’s rights as one of his highest priorities and we must let him know right now, loud and clear, that we won’t go back! Please take a moment to call or write your Representative, and ask them to stand in strong opposition to these draconian attempts to send women back to the back alleys.
Call the Capitol Switchboard Toll-free at:
(888) 423-5983 and ask for your Representative.
Click here to look up your Representative.
Click here to email your Representative.
And don’t forget to forward this email, using the link below, and urge your friends and family to stand up for women’s rights as well.
NWPC California works to recruit, train and financially support pro-choice, progressive women for elected and appointed office. Please consider making a generous contribution today to help us continue our work, at a time when it is greatly needed. Click here to make a contribution.
Thank you for your support!
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan Confirmed by US Senate August 5th
On August 5th, the US Senate voted 63-27, primarily along party lines, to confirm the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan as the 112th Supreme Court Justice. Kagan is now the third female Justice serving on the high court bench, joining Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the fourth woman in U.S. history to do so. Ruth Bader Ginsburg called Kagan’s confirmation “one of the most exhilarating developments”. NWPC-CA endorsed Kagan’s nomination and confirmation.
Kagan will replace Justice John Paul Stevens and is expected to uphold the ideological balance of the Court. Her ability to bridge ideological gaps and bring people together has been recognized by many.
Kagan served as the first woman solicitor general and the first woman Dean of Harvard Law School. Prior to her tenure at Harvard, Kagan served in several positions within the Clinton White House and clerked for former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Kagan Confirmed by Senate Judiciary Committee 7/20
In what President Obama has called a “bipartisan affirmation of her strong performance,” the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 on Tuesday, July 20 to approve Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Now that her nomination has cleared the committee, a full senate debate and vote is expected for the first week in August.
Senator Lindsey Graham was the only Republican on the committee to support Kagan. Graham, who also voted in favor Sonia Sotomayor last summer, explained his choice well:
“[The Constitution] puts upon me a standard that stood the test of time, is the person qualified? Is it a person of good character? Are they someone that understands the difference between being a judge and a politician? And, quite frankly, I think she’s passed all those tests.”
Although Kagan is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate, she will likely not glean many Republican votes beyond Graham’s. Opposition has largely centered around her stance on on-campus military recruiters, gun rights-related issues and her work crafting legislation related to abortion during her time in the Clinton White House. As Senator Chuck Schumer said, “Sadly, it appears election-year politics may deprive her of the vote total that her nomination deserves.”
Kagan’s confirmation will mean that for the first time in the Court’s history, three of the nine justices will be women.
Kagan Confirmation: 7/15 Update
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court Confirmation Tuesday morning, July 20. The date was originally set for July 13, but moved to its current one due to Republican pressure and committee rules that allow any member to request that the vote be held off for up to a week. The committee’s seven Republicans said that they need more time to review post-hearing questions and more time to ask Kagan how she would behave on the bench. This delay might seem abnormal for what experts have described as a relatively routine confirmation process, but according to msnbc.com, this is “a common practice for the minority party.” After Tuesday, it will be up to Senate Majority Leader Read as to when a vote comes before the full Senate.
The NRA (National Rifle Association) is putting additional pressure on Republican and Democratic Senators alike to vote against Kagan: they recently announced that they consider a vote for Kagan a vote against gun rights. Currently, there are 9 Democratic Senators endorsed by the NRA. Despite these troubles, however, Kagan is still expected to be confirmed.
If confirmed, Ms. Kagan will join Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sonia Sotomayor, and three female Justices will serve on the Supreme Court simultaenously.
NWPC National supports Kagan’s nomination and is pushing for her confirmation. NWPC National has stated, “Elena Kagan is not just ‘any woman.’ Kagan has solid legal credentials: she served as the Dean of Harvard Law; was the first woman Solicitor General; is known as a leader and consensus builder. She is an extremely talented woman deserving of this position.”
Elena Kagan, Supreme Court Nominee Update 7/9
Elena Kagan’s Senate confirmation hearings ended Thurs., July 1 after she gracefully answered grueling questions on abortion, LGBTQ issues and other divisive issues. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has scheduled the full committee vote for July 13. Democrats hold a 12-7 advantage in the Judiciary Committee and a 58-41 advantage in the full Senate. Various sources speculate that we will see Elena Kagan confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice (and 4th female Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history) before the August recess.
Senate Confirmation Hearing moment we loved: When Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) spoke of his “absolute fear” that Americans are less free than they were 30 years ago, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) responded quickly and sharply: “Were we really more free if you were a woman in 1980?”, she asked, noting that there were no women on the Court and just one in the Senate that year.
Nomination of Elena Kagan for Supreme Court Justice
The following is NWPC National’s statement on the nomination of Elena Kagan for Supreme Court JusticeThe National Women’s Political Caucus applauds President Obama’s nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. If approved and confirmed, she will fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Paul Stevens. NWPC President Lulu Flores stated, “Ms. Kagan’s nomination signifies America’s progress toward recognizing the importance of women’s voices on the Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation.”
If confirmed, Ms. Kagan will join Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sonia Sotomayor, and three female Justices will serve on the Supreme Court at the same time. “Women make up half the population, yet for too long our voices have been under-represented in the halls of our government; we deserve better” President Flores said.
It should be clear, however, that Elena Kagan is not just “any woman.” Kagan has solid legal credentials: she served as the Dean of Harvard Law; was the first woman Solicitor General; is known as a leader and consensus builder. She is an extremely qualified woman deserving of this position.
Working to ensure that women are appointed to top government positions in representative numbers is fundamental to NWPC’s goal of achieving political gender parity by 2020. In the coming months, we will be on the forefront of those advocating for the confirmation of Elena Kagan to the Court.
