Last Updated July 25, 2008

Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act

Unequal Pay Must End!

Even in the year 2008 women are still making only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. In Ledbetter v. Goodyear the Supreme Court ruled to ban women from filing employment discrimination law suits outside a 180 day time limit, making it harder for women to receive equal pay for equal work. Congress is working to change this: While the House passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act in 2007, the Senate has not taken initiative to support women's economic equality. The Senate has hesitated to pass the Fair Pay Restoration Act, an act that would ensure women's right to equal pay by allowing victims of pay discrimination to seek back pay and damages when they become aware of the injustice.

Bush Threatens to Restrict Women's Access to Reproductive Health

Fight Back!

Once again, the Bush administration is trying to restrict women’s access to reproductive health. The administration circulated a memo earlier last week in the Department of Health and Human Services, proposing cutting federal funds to all states and hospitals that refuse to hire doctors and nurses who object to abortion. Even more, the memo radically redefines “abortion” so to include the birth control pill, IUDs, and emergency contraception! Hospitals hoping to acquire federal funds need to sign a "written certification" that pledges to This could (and most likely will) drastically restrict women’s access to abortion and contraception.

But we can still fight back.

Flood the White House with calls (202-456-1111) and e-mails (comments@whitehouse.gov) of protest. Make sure our President knows that a woman’s health and right to choose should never be compromised for the sake of politics. Let us know at NOW-NYC when you have made these calls, so we can keep a record of our own.

On Friday, July 18, NOW-NYC joined Senator Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Nita Lowey at Bellevue Hospital to oppose Bush's latest attack on women's health. Read Senator Clinton's statement on the HHS memo, and take a look at the video of the press conference below.

Read the New York Times article on the HHS memo. To support reproductive health here in NYS, learn more about the Reproductive Health Act below. 

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Ratify CEDAW!

 CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, is a United Nations treaty that sets out internationally-accepted principles that uphold women's rights. Countries that ratify CEDAW must incorporate the equality of men and women in their legal systems, abolish discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones, establish tribunals to ensure the protection of women, and eliminate acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises. It is also “the only human rights treaty which affirms the reproductive rights of women and targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations”.

 The only countries who have not ratified CEDAW are Somalia, Nauru, Palau, Qatar, Sudan, Iran and the United States. At the 2008 National Organization of Women Conference, NOW President Kim Gandy eloquently expressed how the United States should be a leader in women’s human rights not an obstacle. Take action today to ensure CEDAW is ratified in the United States! Urge New York Senators and the Senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to ratify CEDAW.

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Help Pass the Reproductive Health Act in New York State

Defend Women's Reproductive Rights!

New York State's abortion law was created before Roe v. Wade and has not changed since. Though groundbreaking for its time, the law needs serious revisions to bring women's healthcare into the 21st century. Now that the Supreme Court has actively restricted our abortion rights, it is urgent that we change New York law to protect the health of women. Since there is currently no explicit, affirmative right to an abortion written into New York state law, we can no longer rely on federal constitutional law to ensure our rights. And, if Roe is overturned, there will be no protection at all for women's health after 24 weeks.

We are working to build a critical mass of cosponsors in the state assembly on this legislation. You can help by contacting your state assemblymember today. Let them know that you support this legislation to protect reproductive rights and urge them to sign on as a cosponsor.

Status: The Reproductive Health Act has been introduced in the Senate (S6045) but has not been voted on. The bill is yet to be introduced in the Assembly. However, we have built important groundwork for the bill, and we expect it to be introduced in both houses in 2009.

RHPPA Fact Sheet | Download Letter & Send to Your Rep | Bill Text | Governor's Legal Memo

Find Your State Assembly Member | Find Your State Senator

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Support Equal Marriage in NYS

New York Governor David A. Paterson has taken a vital stance to support equal marriage in New York State. The Governor issued a directive to ensure that the legal marriages of gay couples in other states or countries are recognized in New York State. Paterson's directive provides hope for the LGBT community and their supporters that equal marriage will become a reality in the State of New York.

Please call Governor Paterson's office at 518-474-8390 and thank him for his support. It's important that he hears from as many New Yorkers as possible that he made the right move! Leave a comment that you support his initiative and your zipcode on the message, or send a supportive email.

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NY Met’s Interim Manager, Jerry Manuel, Refers to a Disgruntled Player as a Woman

Jerry Manuel used the oldest trick in the book by alluding to the fact that women are weak, emotional and irrational when he referred to Reyes as a “she” after he reacted negatively to Manuel’s orders to sit out the rest of the game. Manuel was quoted as referring to Reyes as “She acted up with me and she had a day off”. Contact the Mets with your comments about Manuel’s sexist statements.

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Restore Affordable Birth Control

Promote Student Access!

Birth control prices have exploded, increasing up to 5 times in cost at college campus health centers and clinics serving low-income women across the country. This is a result of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which took effect in January and eliminated the discounts on birth control that drug companies were traditionally able to offer to colleges and clinics. Reproductive health care is taking a double hit, as the ability of clinics to charge patients a slightly higher price to support their own operations is significantly reduced. And students who used to pay only $10 a month now need to spend up to $53 for the same method of birth control.

Congressmembers Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Nita Lowey (D-NY), and 171 co-sponsors have introduced the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act (HR4504) to restore affordable birth control prices for university-based and safety-net clinics. Take Action today to increase access for all women!

Status: This bill was last referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It has not been voted on. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and 35 co-sponsors. It was referred to the Committee on Finance, and has not been voted on.

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