Women are in danger of losing the grounds we have gained over the years and are in danger of having our hard won rights stripped away

More midwives with the right skills, equipment and support would save 1.3 million newborn babies and 350,000 mothers every year around the world. We are calling on global leaders to invest more in midwives and health workers with midwifery skills in the right places, at the right time, with the right education, the right support and the right pay.

Our State and National Legislators are attempting to roll back women's rights from cradle to grave. They were sent to office in the 2010 elections to work on jobs, jobs, jobs. But yet, they have spent the past months writing legislation that takes healthcare away from women, infant formula away from babies, early education away from children, daycare away from working women, the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the history of our country, the possiblilty of banning any forms of birth control, redefining rape. Are you kidding me? Must we women really go back to the horrors of the days when I, as a young woman in the workplace was "sexually harassed", but had to put up with it because it didn't even have a name? Back to a time when a woman was blamed for her own rape because of what she was wearing? Really?

Women's Equality and the Right to Vote

Proctor & Gamble recently put on a Mr. Clean coupon in the mother's day supplement a picture of a woman and child with the caption "This Mother's Day Get Back to the Job That Really Matters", and all their ads portray women as the only ones who clean, serve, wait on men and boys, etc. Underlining message- You women need to get pregnant and back in the kitchen where you belong.

Only 3 more states are needed to make the Equal Rights Amendment part of the U.S. Constitution, and HJR 47, recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, will clarify that the 1982 deadline is eliminated. Let's urge Congress to cosponsor HJR 47. To start over on ERA would require 38 states to ratify and take another lifetime.

For several years now, single mothers who receive child support through Support Collection Unit (SCU) are being charged an annual fee of $25. This fee, for which there has never been an explanation given, is literally skimmed off the top of a child's support money. Where are these many millions of dollars—garnered at the expense of children—going? And further, if a fee must be installed, please charge the offending party: the one who would not pay voluntarily in the first place!

Rape is not like getting a flat tire--it's a horrific crime.

Recently Representative Ron Saunders, Leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, made the following statement regarding Representative Daphne Campbell’s anti-choice votes in the Florida House: “The abortion issue is deeply personal and emotional. The Florida House Democratic Caucus did not take a position on any abortion bills and all members, including Representative Campbell, were free to vote any way that they wished on those bills." This statement is UNACCEPTABLE to the women, men, and organizations, across political party lines, who support comprehensive women’s health care and the Constitutional right for women to choose to have an abortion. And it is even more outrageous because it was made by a leader of the Democratic Party, the party whose national platform strongly supports choice and access to reproductive health services.

* * * * * * * * * * MAYOR TISDAHL Said NO! to Tilted Kilt! If you haven't thanked her yet, please do! * * * * * * * * * * Your voices have been heard! On Monday evening, May 2, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl issued a written opinion denying this liquor license application. Here's a link to the full text of her decision: http://www.cityofevanston.org/news/assets/titled%20kilt%20decison%205-2-11.pdf The Mayor's decision is final unless 6 of the 9 members of the Evanston City Council vote to reverse it or Ted Mavrakis files and wins an appeal to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Neither is likely. Still, we will keep this petition site up until June 3, after both deadlines for appeal have passed. Stay tuned! We've sent you three letters with more details and lots of links to news coverage. THANK YOU for your incredible efforts and CONGRATULATIONS on our victory! Kathleen Flaherty & Cynthia Farenga * * * * * * * * * * Do you want to see a Tilted Kilt "breastaurant" when you visit Fountain Square? Do you want to inhale secondhand smoke from clusters of its customers? Tilted Kilt poses as a family restaurant, but sells adult entertainment. "Kilt Girl" costumes and scripted behavior "cast" young women as naughty-but nice schoolgirls and invite grown men to be sexually aroused.  The tee shirts they sell show Kilt Girls draped on whiskey bottles, with slogans like "Goes Down Smooth" and "Soft Tail." Mayor Tisdahl, our local Liquor Commissioner, held a public hearing on April 26. We presented this petition, with almost 2,000 signers. We summarized petition comments and read some of them into the record. Dozens of "SAY NO!" citizens attended. Many testified about their reasons: protecting the physical and emotional well-being of our children, fostering respect and equality for women, rejecting businesses which "normalize" sex discrimination in hiring and sexual harassment, preserving our Fountain Square as a war memorial and town square. We explained why a Tilted Kilt would diminish the appeal of our downtown as a place to shop and dine. We noted it was likely to siphon business from existing bars and restaurants. We asked whether it would really bring new customers and, if so, what kind? Tilted Kilt's corporate reps assured the Mayor that there has never been a criminal incident at any Tilted Kilt. But a quick news search turned up 9 serious incidents, 4 at the Elgin Tilted Kilt since January -- including multiple stabbings. They insisted their costumes aren't very provocative, but the photos and videos on their website contradict them. They demanded that we not judge them by their website, but they control the content of that website. The Mayor has issued her decision. See top for this great news!

The Speaker of the Florida House, Dean Cannon, admonished Representative Scott Randolph for using the word "uterus" on the House floor, as if "uterus" is a dirty word. This is especially outrageous considering that this year alone, the Florida House has proposed 18 anti-choice bills. Speaker Cannon wants to restrict what women can do with their bodies, but he doesn't want to talk about it. We're asking for your help. Sign this petition to let Speaker Cannon know that "uterus" is not a dirty word.