Our Pro-Choice Friends at Women for Himes

Jacquie Carlsen! I met her while we were organizing the "Unite Women!" Hartford Rally in the Spring. Then she volunteered with NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut for our Carnival this month, honoring Teresa Younger of PCSW.




And Click here for Patti Russo!

Compassionate Care for Rape Victims - McMahon would Turn back the Clock

Linda McMahon Would Block Timely Access to Care
for Rape Survivors

McMahon Called Out for Insensitive Statements

 

NEW HAVEN, CT— Christian Miron, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, condemned Linda McMahon for her disregard for certain survivors of rape.  In an interview with the Hartford Courant’s editorial board last week, McMahon said she would side with hospitals over women.  McMahon would allow hospitals that oppose emergency contraception to turn away a rape survivor for the care she requests. 

“It couldn’t make things more clear: Linda McMahon is bad for Connecticut women.  She thinks it okay to send rape survivors seeking emergency care to another hospital in the middle of the night rather than give them the prompt medical attention and compassion they deserve,” Miron said.

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In Case You Missed It

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In 2007, Connecticut passed legislation requiring licensed health-care facilities, like hospital emergency rooms, to provide emergency contraception (EC) to survivors of sexual assault upon request.  “This bill passed overwhelmingly with bi-partisan support and was signed into law by then-Gov. Jodi Rell,” Miron said.  “In Connecticut, there is widespread support for this law and the values it reflects. 

Studies show EC is 95 percent effective in preventing pregnancy when taken within the first 24 hours after an assault.  “Linda McMahon clearly doesn’t appreciate that time is of the essence and sending a woman to another hospital to obtain EC reduces the efficacy of the medication,” Miron said.

Miron noted this is the latest in a growing trend of anti-women positions articulated by Linda McMahon.

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NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut is the leading grassroots pro‑choice advocacy organization in Connecticut. NARAL Pro‑Choice Connecticut works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion.

Linda McMayhem - To Put it Blunt-ly

This just in:

Linda McMahon’s Campaign Belittles the Need for Affordable Health Care

NEW HAVEN, CT—Christian Miron, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, blasted Linda McMahon’s campaign for its insensitive comments on women’s access to affordable birth control on Monday, September 10th.

“The McMahon campaign’s attempt to minimize the need for affordable health care is appalling,” Miron said. “Instead of supporting near-universal health care for Connecticut’s families, Linda McMahon supports the Blunt Amendment, which would allow your boss to deny contraceptive coverage for any reason. This should serve as a chilling reminder of what’s at stake this election.”

The Blunt Amendment would have allowed corporations and insurance companies to refuse to cover birth control and other essential health benefits, including maternity care, HIV/AIDS treatment, and cancer screenings.

Miron said while birth control is considered critical to women’s health, one of the most significant barriers to accessing it is its cost. “Paying out of pocket for contraception can result in annual fees of more than $700. Over the span of a woman’s reproductive years, the cost of contraception can amount to more than $20,000,” said Miron.

“This is an economic issue for women,” Miron said. “For many, the cost of birth control is prohibitive, especially during a time when families are having trouble making ends meet. Providing universal no-cost birth control coverage is essential to increasing access to critical preventative-health care. Linda McMahon either doesn’t care or doesn’t get it—I’ll leave it to the women of Connecticut to decide which is worse.”

Miron went on to call the McMahon campaign out of touch with Connecticut voters. “Linda McMahon isn’t living in the same world as the rest of us if her campaign believes most women pay “four dollars” for reliable birth control.”

NARAL PAC Endorses Chris Murphy for Senate

Press Release - Reproduced in Full, Links added.

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC
Endorses Rep. Chris Murphy for U.S. Senate

The organization fights to add more pro-choice voices to the U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America announced today that her organization’s political action committee endorsed Rep. Chris Murphy to represent the great state of Connecticut in the U.S. Senate.

 “As the U.S. House of Representatives wages a War on Women, we have relied on the U.S. Senate to be the firewall,” said Keenan. “We must elect pro-choice leaders like Chris Murphy to the Senate so that he can help defend the values of freedom and privacy shared by Connecticut’s women and families. We are proud to support his candidacy and will make sure our Connecticut members know that defeating Linda McMahon is essential to protecting the full range of women’s reproductive health choices.”

"Fighting for reproductive choice has always been at the center of my public service,” said Murphy.  “I started out my career defeating the state legislature's leading anti-choice voices, and now I'm proud to stand strong for choice in Washington.  As national Republicans wage an unprecedented assault on choice, birth control, and women's health, it's more important than ever that we send strong pro-choice leaders to Congress.  My wife Cathy and I have been active members of the Connecticut pro-choice movement for years, and I am so pleased and humbled to have NARAL Pro-Choice America in my corner as I head into this Senate election.”

Keenan said NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC has given the maximum contribution of $10,000 to the campaign and will work with Christian Miron, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, to organize activists and provide on-the-ground support for Chris Murphy’s campaign.

Miron praised the endorsement and said Murphy would build on his record as an effective leader for reproductive rights. 

"Chris Murphy is a champion for women's reproductive choice," Miron said. "As a member of the House, Chris has shown a steadfast commitment to reproductive health and rights. NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut holds Chris Murphy in the highest esteem and we are proud that NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC has endorsed his candidacy."

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NARALPro-Choice Connecticut is the leading grassroots pro‑choice advocacy organization in Connecticut. NARAL Pro‑Choice Connecticut works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion.

In Case You Missed It: from DailyKos

Unite Against the War on Women

[...]
New Group Poised to Challenge “War on Women”
• Virginia legislators recently tried to enact an invasive, mandatory “trans-vaginal ultrasound” measure for women seeking abortions.
• In Mississippi, lawmakers took a cue from Virginia and are now pushing the same type of regressive, restrictive legislation.
• Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has decided to deny funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers under the Texas Women’s Health Program.
• Some presidential candidates want to end Medicaid funding and turn it into state-by-state bloc grants.
• Personhood legislation and amendments are being actively pushed through state legislatures in attempts to criminalize contraception and family planning.
• State laws regarding voter registration designed to suppress voter turnout especially among poor women, seniors and minorities are already in place and spreading.

A new and growing movement called Unite Against The War On Women is poised to push back on measures like this, with protest marches and rallies across the country on Saturday, April 28.

Join us - Saturday, April 28th as we say NO WAY/NO HOW to these attempts to dictate our personal decisions, our bodies, our health choices, and our families.

The newly-minted organization has garnered almost 20,000 members nationally in less than two weeks in the wake of of Virginia’s “trans-vaginal ultrasound” bill and other pending legislation.

JOIN US - SHARE - PASS THE WORD - WE WILL NOT BE SILENT

 ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Questions? send an email to unitewomenconnecticut@gmail.com    or    ctFreeRadicals@gmail.com  
sign up at WeAreWomenMarch.net

Campaign School Scholarship - Apply Now!

NARAL Pro‑Choice Connecticut Scholarship for

Pro-­Choice Activists at

The 16th Annual Campaign School

Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work

University of Connecticut School of Social Work

April 6—7, West Hartford, CT

Scholarship awardees will receive the following:

• Registration paid for the 16th Annual Campaign School
• Membership in the NARAL Political Action Committee through the 2012 election cycle
• Recognition at an upcoming NARAL Pro-­‐‑Choice Connecticut event
• A certificate of achievement

The Campaign School is a two-­day workshop that teaches political campaign strategies to social workers and the staff, board members, volunteers and clients of social service and advocacy agencies. For more information, please visit: politicalinstitute.uconn.edu  To apply, please submit the following information and a résumé electronically to christian@prochoicect.org by Monday, March 19th at 5pm.

• Name
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Mailing Address
• Please describe your interest and involvement in the reproductive rights and justice movement. Why do you think this issue is important in Connecticut today? What is your past experience with politics or campaigns? Why are you interested in attending the Campaign School?

For questions or further information please contact NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut Executive Director Christian Miron at christian@prochoicect.org

Chris Murphy and Womens Health

On Friday January 6th Congressman Chris Murphy hosted a forum in Hartford, with a panel featuring the following Connecticut leaders concerned with women's health care:

• Dr. Kristen Zarfos - Director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at St Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford
• Jenny Carrillo - Sr Vice President, External Affairs & Organizational Effectiveness, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England 
• Rresentative Betsy Ritter - House Chair of the Public Health Committee in the State Legislature
• Teresa Younger - Executive Director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
• Christian Miron - Executive Director of NARAL ProChoice Connecticut

It is interesting that Chris Murphy, who I support in his current campaign for US Senate, is such an outspoken advocate for women's health care. His unwavering support for women's rights and the needs of families has distinguished him as someone who fully understands the view from "down on the street".

I also liked State Representative Betsy Ritter noting that there needs to be a focus on Science rather than Rhetoric, where real information discredits untruths.

One hour and 19 minutes, courtesy of CT-N:

The War on Women

Got an email today from Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, which went into detail about the War on Women.  Among other things noted in the email was this:

Anti-choice leaders pushed H.R.3, the outrageous "rape-audits" bill, through the U.S. House of Representatives, and now a vote on this legislation in the U.S. Senate could come down to the wire.

Show Congress You're Fighting Back

Anti-choice senators are preparing to move the War on Women forward with legislation that will deny women access to everything from birth control to cancer screenings to the right to choose safe, legal abortion.

Join the photo petition today.

1. Make a sign. Make a sign from scratch or download and print out this sign.
2. Take a picture of yourself holding the sign. You can use your camera, a webcam, or even a photo from your phone is fine!
3. Email your picture to hall33ready@photos.flickr.com – a unique address that will automatically upload your photo to NARAL Pro-Choice America's Flickr site.
   (You can use the subject line to give your photo a title and the body to add a description.)
4. Make sure your friends are involved, too! Get the word out.

NARAL Pro-Choice America will deliver your photo to our senators to make sure they see who these dangerous bills could impact.  Senator Blumenthal is a longtime supporter of women and girls' rights. Senator Lieberman is...well...Senator Lieberman.

Incidentally, the Connecticut organization, NARAL Pro-Choice CT,  welcomes your donations to support work to defend the laws that ensure women's reproductive rights are not abridged.