We Need Your Support to Fight “The Right” – Donate Now!!

By Diana Egozcue, Virginia NOW President
Pro-Choice Lobby Day is coming fast! January 27th is the day we remind the state legislature that we are there to protect a woman’s right to choose. We have not gone away and we are there to fight. Prove that Governor Bob, Delegate Bobby, and AG “kooky” Ken do not scare us! We hope you will join us on Thursday, January 27th, 8 AM to 2 PM at the General Assembly Building, at 9th and Broad Streets in Richmond. Come and express your ideas to the legislators.

The anti-choice crowd has filed many bills to gnaw away at your right to choose: currently, there is a TRAP bill that is designed to force clinics to close because they can not afford to modify their facilities to hospital standards and Delegate Bobby’s “personhood” for fetuses bill. A NOW member says the bill gives a sack of cells more rights than the actual adult woman!

The fight is on and we need your help. Money has been given to legislators by groups such as the Family Research Council that want to defeat any legislation that will help women. We need your support to fight them by donating as generously as possible. This year, we are going to lobby more than any other time. Can you give $35, $50, $75 or more? We know times are hard, but any amount will help.

This year, we are no longer going to run pro-choice ads in newspapers. They have become prohibitively expensive for smaller ad space, and we have found the legislators do not read them. The money is supporting newspapers which do not support our issues, so we feel the money should go straight to the fight. We are also planning events around the state to benefit abortion clinics and help our chapters do their work. We know some of you want these ads, but think how far this money will go to fight the Forces of Stupidity! The newspaper ads will be replaced by fact sheets and letters with your name on them. They will be delivered to every delegate and senator to make sure they know we are there and fighting.

I cannot stress how much we need your help. A minimum of $35 will put your name on a constituent letter delivered to their offices. Your $35 will show the Legislature that there are still pro-choice Virginians, and it will support organizations such as the Blue Ridge Abortion Assistance Fund in Charlottesville. Your money will also pay for our lobbying efforts in Richmond and through the year.

We are also introducing the ERA in this session. That’s right! It is not dead, and we have been working for 4 years to get the bill into the Legislature. Delegate Sickles and Senator Ticer have stepped forward to patron the bill, and we thank them so much. If they are your representatives, please call and thank them for stepping up when others would not. We will be there to fight every step of the way, but it takes money. It’s time to put them on the defense! We always wait for the other shoe to drop, but this time, WE are the ones dropping a boulder, and let’s make it a big boulder!

As we have said in past years, what can you give up? A few lattes? A new pair of shoes? A lunch or dinner out? How much do you want to defeat Bob, Bobby, and kooky Ken? Be as generous as you possibly can be. Your feminist soul will feel great knowing that you are helping in the fight! Thank you so much in advance for believing in us and your generous donation.

Send your checks to: Virginia NOW, Box 7621, Arlington, Va. 22207 . Or you can make donations online by clicking here through our safe, secure Click and Pledge service. Your gift will be put to work immediately. Thanks again for your generosity.

Heads Up! The General Assembly Has Convened. Do You Know Who Your Legislators Are?

The 2011 session of the Virginia General Assembly started January 12th. It’s a 46-day session that will be dominated by the budget, transportation, and redistricting. As for NOW members’ priority issues, legislators can pass helpful and empowering legislation – or disastrous restrictions such as those aimed at further restricting reproductive health care.
Virginia NOW will be working hard with our allies to pass the good bills and defeat the bad ones. Please do your part! 

• Know the names and contact info for your delegate and your senator. Find them here.
• Check our facebook page frequently for action alerts, sign up for our Twitter feed and watch for our emails. Click here for our  facebook page.
• When we send out alerts, please contact your representatives.

We are proud that the NOW-sponsored Equal Rights Amendment will be introduced!

Along with the ERA, we will be advocating for:

• women’s safety – improved protective orders so that we will be better able to prevent another brutal assault such as the one that resulted in the death of UVA athlete Yeardley Love;
• women’s health – the defeat of the unnecessary TRAP (Targeted Regulations Against Abortion Providers) bill, which would result in the closing of many clinics;
• women’s lives – stronger laws against human trafficking – more properly called sexual slavery – that victimizes innocent women, as well as men and children. 

NOW members and friends will join other activists for two important Lobby Days in Richmond:

January 27 – Pro-Choice Lobby Day, organized by the Pro-Choice Coalition. Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm. Place: General Assembly Building, 9th Street and Broad Street, Richmond. We’ll talk to legislators, have a rally, and attend committee hearings.  
Planned Parenthood has buses from various locations. Click here to check it out. 

February 2 – Women’s Lobby Day, organized by the League of Women Voters of Virginia with AAUW of Virginia. Time: 8:30 am. Place: General Assembly Building, Senate Room 3 West, Richmond

Important! You do not need to know how to lobby to be a part of these important action days. We’ll have fact sheets, talking points, and training. So please join us!!

For complete information, contact Marj Signer, VA NOW legislative v-p, at marj.signer@gmail.com.