AAUW Ohio Public Policy E-Newsletter
By Jackie Evangelista, AAUW Ohio Public Policy Chair, 1-20-12
Dear AAUW/Ohio Presidents, Public Policy Chairs, their Stand-Ins, and Newsletter Editors: You can make a difference in the 2012 election. Get your branch involved in developing voter guides, turning out the vote or participating in e-mail campaigns. This e-newsletter offers some options that will be expanded on at the upcoming AAUW/Ohio Convention in Findlay. As always, I love hearing about programs you are conducting on public policy issues and efforts you are making to expand awareness about the many issues in the AAUW Public Policy Program being violated in Ohio now. Please help me keep my e-mail lists updated by informing me when you have any changes in the officers who are receiving this e-newsletter. Thanks. Jackie
ACTION ALERTS
1. The current focus in the Ohio legislature is on defunding Planned Parenthood. Please go to this page: http://www.ppao.org/Advocacy/Defunding-Advocacy.html and carry out the four recommended actions. And please read the talking points provided. If women don’t begin standing up for reproductive rights, soon we will have none.2. Anti-abortion activists are circulating petitions to get a personhood amendment on the ballot similar to the one Mississippi voters defeated in November. Go to: http://www.healthyfamiliesohio.org/Pledge.html and pledge that you will decline to sign a petition that gives full personhood rights to fertilized eggs.
3. Thank President Obama for rejecting calls to restrict access to no co-pay insurance for birth control at: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/. Please ask members to forward these links to all their friends.
THE BIG 3 AND THE AAUW PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM
As most members are aware, AAUW has a diverse public policy program and an outstanding director in Ohio native Lisa Maatz, who will be keynoting at our upcoming convention as well as offering a breakout on getting out the vote. It falls mainly on the shoulders of the president, public policy chair and newsletter editor—I’ll refer to you henceforward as the Big 3–to inform members about our public policy positions and the issues that need attention at any given time. Staying abreast of the issues may seem daunting, but using the tools provided by AAUW and AAUW Ohio on their excellent websites as well as in this e-newsletter can greatly simplify the task.
As part of the Big 3, you should already have taken the time to read the AAUW Public Policy Program and to have ordered copies of the program at no cost for members. These can also be distributed at public meetings. While you are at it, order 25 free copies of AAUW’s new research report, Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School (2011).
The Shop AAUW website also offers free membership brochures. The Big 3 should also check in with the Action Network before meetings or newsletter publication to see what actions AAUW is currently requesting and use your time with members to ask them to go online and voice their opinions.
At this time in history, much power has devolved to the states, and Ohio legislators have taken many actions in the past few years that are in opposition to the AAUW Public Policy Program. You can track these issues on the AAUW Ohio website at www.aauwoh.org. The site, for example, reports about a program on charter schools by Steve Dyer, the former state rep who spoke at our Leadership Conference last summer, to be presented by the Toledo Branch Jan. 28. It also reports on a film entitled “When Abortion Was Illegal” that will be shown at the 39th anniversary observance of the Roe v. Wade decision in Columbus on Jan. 24 sponsored by Freedom of Choice Ohio, a coalition that AAUW Ohio is a member of.
You can also find the testimony of our advocate, Karen Rainey, on the Heartbeat Bill, H.B. 125, on the site as well as many other items related to Ohio issues of import to AAUW members. Our web manager and Ohio Orbit editor Paula Maggio is always adding items to the website, so check it frequently.
One way to more efficiently track AAUW public policy issues is to create a bookmark file that includes all the links listed in this newsletter as well as any others you think are important. These might cover the topics of education, reproductive choice, voting rights or trafficking, for example. Carrying out the responsibility of informing and involving members in the AAUW Public Policy Program is just a matter of setting the intention and then getting organized. As part of the Big 3, you have the opportunity to make AAUW more meaningful to your members and to show visitors that we stand for something bigger, something important to the advancement of women and our country. That will make your branch more attractive to both prospective and current members.
CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM AVAILABLE
The last issue of the Orbit gave an overview of the upcoming AAUW Ohio Equity Day and Convention 2012 to be held April 14-15 at the Findlay Inn in Findlay. Now the registration form has just become available. Both were attached to this newsletter and will soon be available online. The next mailed Orbit scheduled to arrive in mid-February will also cover the convention.
The proceedings will actually start Friday evening, April 13, with the All-Convention Book Read focusing on Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System. It will start right after the board meeting, which all members are invited to witness. This is a wise book packed with a lifetime of accumulated knowledge that arrives at a pivotal time in history when public education is under unprecedented assault. It is worth your time to read and discuss it. If you don’t have any open programs before the convention, why not suggest that your members read and discuss it via e-mail? Being that the book is pretty hefty, you might ask certain members to read and write a one-page report about certain chapters.
Overall convention programming offers a lot for those who are interested in public policy starting with Lisa Maatz’s keynote and breakout on getting out the vote. Karen Rainey and I will offer a breakout on public education and voting rights while Jaime Miracle of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio will attend to update us on recent developments on the reproductive choice front. Of course, you will also come home with ideas for membership and programming. Members who have taken the time to attend convention always enjoy it, and going with a group from your branch can be a peak experience that can end up guiding your branch in unexpected and productive new directions as those branches who got involved in the trafficking issue have experienced.
STATE LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS ON EDUCATION AND CHOICE
HB 136, which would have provided vouchers of varying amounts to individuals making up to $95,000 in all Ohio school districts regardless of their success, motivated so many complaints from local school superintendents that its lead sponsor has suggested five primary revisions that would reduce its negative impact. These are summarized in a Plain Dealer article. But, if you haven’t already done so, I still encourage you to read the analysis of the original bill to see how radical the current crop of legislators really is and recognize how important it is to turn them out of office. The author uses the Dublin school district as an example showing that if 2,613 of the system’s 13,910 students were to request a voucher, it would bankrupt this “Excellent with Distinction A+” system. Even under the revised plan, additional taxpayer monies would be diverted to unaccountable schools at a time when public schools are struggling to survive. Are we going to accept this without push back?
The policies being promoted by these legislators are equally radical in the area of reproductive freedom from their current attempt to defund Planned Parenthood (see Action Alert above) to their sponsorship of H.B. 125, the Heartbeat Bill. I have attached the argument against this bill that is posted on the NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio website, where you can read the many other bills that pro-choice forces are fighting at present. This attachment also includes the questions that Ohio Right to Life asked those running for the state legislature prior to issuing their recent endorsements. It may be hard to hear, but AAUW branches have mirrored society for decades in that they have been willing to look the other way while anti-abortion advocates have chipped away at reproductive freedom. If the Heartbeat Bill passes the Senate (it has already passed the House), it will ignite an expensive taxpayer funded defense of the bill. If the bill is upheld, it would essentially outlaw abortion in Ohio because most women do not know they are pregnant before a heartbeat can be detected. The consequences of a personhood amendment would be even more dire likely resulting in the outlawing of the most popular methods of birth control in addition to abortion.
I would like to repeat what I said in the last issue of this newsletter: The only way to stop this attack on our public schools and reproductive freedom is to elect legislators who support our positions on the issues. This is why I suggest a three-pronged approach that could be carried out by a sub-committee of committed branch members. First, proactively look for and encourage viable women who support our issues to run for state office from your district. Peruse this website for guidance: http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/.
Second, develop an e-mail list of friends who would like to support public education and reproductive freedom and get them involved in contacting legislators and spreading information. And third, create and distribute a voter guide before the Fall 2012 election showing which legislators support and which oppose public education as well as other AAUW positions on issues like reproductive choice and voting rights. Consider scheduling a public meeting around this project in coalition with as many like-minded groups as you can get together. Get media involved, and use online resources. We will expand on this concept at the convention. Please attend.
An extreme group, Personhood USA, is circulating a petition to radically change Ohio’s constitution. The amendment would define a fertilized egg as a person, giving it all legal rights and constitutional protections.
Take action against this threat by signing the online pledge to decline to sign a petition that gives full legal and constitutional protections to fertilized eggs.
This effort is organized by Healthy Families Ohio, a bi-partisan coalition of nurses, doctors, religious and faith leaders, community groups, attorneys, and health advocacy organizations. The coalition includes organizations opposed to a “personhood” constitutional amendment in Ohio.
- Get more Ohio news about this issue.
Toledo Branch will host the program “Charter Schools: Good for our kids? Good for Ohio” on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 11:30 a.m. at the Black Pearl Restaurant, 5630 Heatherdowns in Toledo.
- Stephen Dyer was on the public policy panel at Leadership Workshop 2011.
Stephen Dyer, eduction policy fellow at Innovation Ohio and former state representative, will present the program. He also presented on this topic at Leadership Workshop 2011.
Participants have a choice. They can order brunch or lunch from the menu by arriving at 11:30 a.m. or come just for the program at 1 p.m.
RSVP to 419-824-0917. Seating is limited.
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2012 National Conference for
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NCCWSL will proudly feature Women of Distinction Awardee Alison Cohen, president of Alta Bicycle Share, and keynote speaker Mayda Del Valle, artist and winner of the National Poetry Slam. |
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Do you want to help promising young women student leaders?Send them to the conference in 2012! Or give to the NCCWSL Scholarship Fund and the NCCWSL General Fund. | |||
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Visit www.nccwsl.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter! AAUW | 1111 Sixteenth Street NW | Washington, DC 20036 |
Freedom of Choice Ohio Coalition and The National Council of Jewish Women Columbus Section invite you to celebrate the 39th Anniversary of Roe v Wade by viewing When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories.
The film reveals the physical, emotional and legal consequences of when abortion was a criminal act. Women speak frankly about their experiences; doctors and health care workers describe the challenge of saving women suffering from botched abortions; and friends and family members share their personal remembrances.
The film will be followed by discussion led by providers and activists.
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012
6 p.m. reception: Come to mingle with pro-choice supporters!
7 p.m. film screening
Location: Gateway Film Center, 1550 North High St., Columbus.
Tickets for the reception and film screening are $15 regular/$10 student.
Reservations are required. Reserve your ticket to both the reception and film screening by mailing your contact information and check to FOCO, c/o NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, 57 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. You can also reserve your ticket online at http://bit.ly/roe2012.
Please RSVP by Jan. 20, 2012. If you have questions, please call 614-221-2594. Parking for the Gateway Film Center is in the garage located next door to the cinema on both 9th and 11th avenues. Parking is $1 after ticket validation inside the theater.
Remember to make your tax-deductible contribution to AAUW before the end of the year.
Give to your favorite: Legal Advocacy Fund, Fellowships, Research and Project Grants, Leadership, Public Policy, General AAUW Funds etc.
And it’s easy to give! You can do it securely online in minutes. Here is the AAUW Donation Form.
Read about how to support the programs of AAUW here.
Here is what you will find in the latest issue of the Ohio Orbit:
- Details about AAUW Ohio Equity Day and Convention 2012. See Page 1.
- A holiday greeting from AAUW Ohio President Patricia Millhoff, along with an update about legislation in Columbus. See Page 2.
- Public policy news from Karen Rainey, our public policy advocate. See Page 3.
- Find out who won the AAUW quilt and other goings on at branches around Ohio. See Page 4.
- Find out why AAUW’s new research report, Crossing the Line, has media across the country buzzing about it. See Page 5.
- Learn about Know the Score, a Program in a Box that will fill you and your branch members in on Title IX. See Page 5.
- Ohio is benefiting from AAUW initiatives. Elect Her is coming to three campuses in our state, and an AAUW International Fellow studying in Cleveland. See Page 5.
- Refresh your memory about the website and social media help offered by AAUW and AAUW Ohio. See Page 6.
- Meet Starz Award deadlines and download the form. See Page 6.
You can download other issues of Ohio Orbit as PDFs.
The news from Jackie Evangelista, AAUW Ohio public policy chair, and Karen Rainey, our public policy advocate, is that the Ohio Senate Health Committee has scheduled a second hearing on the “heartbeat” abortion ban bill, bringing it one step closer to the governor’s desk.
You are invited to join us at this critical hearing to hear opposition testimony and let these legislators know that we will be watching when they attack women’s access to health care.
Hearing Details: Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. (or immediately after session) at the Ohio Senate Building – South Hearing Room
Please read this Toledo Blade editorial, which effectively sums up the issue. If you are interested in attending, scroll down for Karen’s written testimony to help you develop bullet points or use the Blade editorial. Then use this link to RSVP. Links to Karen’s other testimony is available on this page.
Testimony on House Bill 125
Before the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee
The Hon. Scott Oelslager, Chair
By Karen Rainey, AAUW Ohio Public Policy Advocate
December 12, 2011
Chairman Oelslager and members of the committee:
My name is Karen Rainey, and I am speaking for AAUW Ohio (the American Association of University Women), representing more than 1,500 members in 50 branches throughout Ohio. AAUW members initiated support for the legalization of abortion in 1971. The protection of reproductive rights has been an organizational policy principle since 1977.
Since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe V. Wade, legalized abortion has been a constitutionally protected fundamental right. In real terms, this means that all women have access to a full range of reproductive health and family planning options. The Roe v. Wade ruling did not give states the prerogative to restrict access to abortion during the first trimester.
House Bill 125 would unconstitutionally restrict abortion access during this first trimester. At this point in time, no fetus is viable at such an early stage of development. Increasing restrictions would deny many of the most vulnerable women in our state fundamental control of their reproductive lives. This bill would not allow for exceptions for rape, incest, or severe mental illness—all conditions that should evoke our compassion, not a one-size-fits-all legalistic imperative.
Ohio is attempting to stem the “brain drain” of its intelligent young people from the state. We ask, what woman of child-bearing age would want to stay—or come—to a state that does not respect her reproductive choices or needs? What if she has a problem pregnancy? No one can predict the outcome of a pregnancy, despite the testimony of this bill’s proponents.
An additional argument against this bill is that, in a time of economic hardship and severe budget cuts, the State of Ohio would be saddled with the costs of defending the bill, because it is practically guaranteed that it will be challenged in court.
There are many positive things that can be done to cut down the number of unintended pregnancies. These include increased access to pregnancy prevention programs and to emergency contraception and comprehensive sex education. It would be far better for this committee to be an advocate for better reproductive health care and family planning services than to be against access to abortion.
AAUW members care about human life, yes, but we also care about the quality of life. We care that the babies who are born grow up in safe, loving environments—that they have enough to eat, that they live in a decent home, that they have a good education. When the economic situation means that adoption subsidies are cut, that homelessness among children is growing, that day care assistance is drying up, that reproductive health care loses funding and that jobs are nonexistent, then we don’t see the compassion in forcing a woman to carry an unplanned child. Pregnancy should not be a punishment.
We respectfully ask that you vote against this bill.
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. AAUW, founded in 1881, is open to all graduates who hold an associate or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university. In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership.
Betty Dukes speaks with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)(photo by Samuel Lehman)
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the Wal-Mart v. Dukes sex discrimination class-action lawsuit was too big to move forward, the lawyers representing the women vowed to create smaller class actions by region.
On Nov. 15, the lawyers filed the first of these amended lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for Northern California. The lawsuit alleges that Wal-Mart’s discriminatory practices affected more than 90,000 women currently or formerly employed at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in four regions in California and nearby states. Betty Dukes, a California resident, is the lead plaintiff, just as she was for the larger lawsuit.
AAUW first provided support to the lead plaintiffs in Wal-Mart v. Dukes last spring through the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund. In September, the AAUW board voted to disburse more funds to defray costs involved in creating smaller class-action lawsuits.
AAUW will continue supporting the lawyers and plaintiffs as they seek justice for all women workers at Wal-Mart stores.
