As a woman, I find Cory Gardner's positions on women's health offensive and threatening. For 8 straight years, he co-sponsored the extreme anti-choice effort to designate a fertilized egg as a human being. Now, he's flip-flopped his position as he postures to pursue his political ambition to move from Congress to the Senate. To paraphrase Ann Richards, "A woman who votes for Cory Gardner is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders."

The influence and authority which a judge wields over a person's life is far more significant than that of an entertainer or athlete. To that end, our elected representatives must ensure that members of the judiciary, whom they appoint, exemplify and are held to high standards. When they do not, the legislative branch, as the employer, must take corrective measures to terminate that person.

GoFundMe is a popular online fundraising site where you can raise money for personal projects or issues you care about. Lots of people use it to help pay for expensive medical emergencies. But GoFundMe just announced a new policy that restricts people from raising money to help pay for an abortion. You know what else GoFundMe restricts raising money for? Terrorism, violence, and drugs. That's right, they consider abortion in the same category as terrorism and violence. Abortion is standard medical care that one in three women needs. They don’t need stigma, shame, or judgment. Sign the petition to tell GoFundMe to take abortion off its list of banned content.

Jennifer Whalen is a single mom in very difficult circumstances. She was just sentenced to 18 months in prison for trying to help her daughter get safe, legal abortion care! A round trip to the nearest in-state clinic was over 150 miles, and Pennsylvania has a mandatory waiting period which would have meant making the trip twice in as many days or staying overnight. As a full-time nursing home aide, that would’ve been very difficult. On top of all this, her daughter doesn’t have health insurance to cover the cost of abortion service at a doctor's office or hospital. Whether or not we think what the mother did was right, we can all agree that the real offenders here are the politicians who’ve put abortion out of reach for so many women. We need to bring state politicians face to face with the consequences of their actions and hold them accountable. Join us now to tell the Pennsylvania legislature to stop throwing women in jail and focus on making sure we can exercise our constitutional rights.

This is extremely important because these politicians are trying to take away women's rights to affordable birth control care. As human beings we should have the right to make our own health care decisions without interference of our bosses. What business is it of theirs if I want to be on birth control? Women should be allowed to make decisions for her own body just as men are able to. How are we being treated equally if we can't have a simple birth control pill covered by our work that might I add also produces other health benefits, yet vasectomies are still being covered for men. The answer is that we are in fact not being treated equally whatsoever. It's time to take a stand against these politicians who seem to think they can control the decisions of our own body's. I started this petition because I am a woman as well and I want to be treated equally. By signing this petition you can not only help yourself to receive equal health care coverage but, you can also help spread the word and help other women to receive equal health care coverage.

There is a direct connection between gun violence and domestic violence: When a domestic abuser has a gun, a victim is 12 times more likely to die than when he doesn’t. One in four American women experiences physical violence from an intimate partner, and every month 46 women are killed by an intimate partner with a gun. We need to tell Congress that too many women are dying. Over twenty years ago Congress passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). We’ve made progress, but we need Congress to step up and plug the loopholes to protect all women now. Congress already expanded VAWA to make it a crime for those convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor to buy or possess a gun. Now we need to expand protection to include women in dating relationships, and to prevent stalkers from owning guns. States United to Prevent Gun Violence and the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus are partnering to deliver the message to Congress: "Step up and protect all women NOW by preventing stalkers and violent dating partners from buying and possessing guns".

When Florence, Kentucky police officer Lyndi Trischler was five months pregnant with her second child and no longer able to wear the body armor or utility belt required for her patrol work, because they didn’t fit, made it difficult to breathe and caused her pain, she let her supervisors know. [1] She also experienced the onset of heart palpitations and, according to the Washington Post, at her doctor’s urging, she asked if she could be assigned to light duty for the duration of her pregnancy. [2] Her supervisor refused the request. [3] Why? Because of a new citywide policy that denies any modified duty to any city employee who requests it, unless they have an on the on-the-job injury. [4] This policy goes against the Americans with Disability Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) pregnancy discrimination enforcement guidance, and in this case, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Urge Florence, Kentucky Mayor Diane E. Whalen to change the city’s discriminatory policy to be in full compliance with the law NOW and to let Lyndi get back to work! For more information from our partners at A Better Balance who are representing Officer Trischler in her legal efforts, click here: http://www.abetterbalance.org/web/component/content/article/50-fairnessworkplace/315-lyndi-trischler [1] The Washington Post: Pregnant women fight to keep jobs via "reasonable accommodations." [2] Ibid. [3] USA Today, Police work, pregnancy collide in Ky. Town; CBS News: Field work or no pay for pregnant Kentucky police officer Lyndi Trischler. [4] A Better Balance: We're fighting back for Officer Trischler.

While I could not personally have an abortion, it is not my place or anyone else's place to tell women how to conduct their lives. It makes me angry that this issue comes up with every election.

Nicole Guerrero was pregnant and alone in a Texas county jail cell when she suddenly started having contractions. According to CNN, after screaming for help over and over again and being ignored for hours, someone finally came to her assistance, but it was too late. Her baby was born on a jail cell floor, a deep shade of purple, with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Nicole’s baby did not survive. [1] [2] Nicole Guerrero is just one of the estimated 500 pregnant women in Texas county jails each month. [3] Reports from advocates in Texas tell us this isn’t the first time a pregnant woman in a county jail was denied access to medical care. The following standards and best practices should be established as minimum standards by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards: 1. Implement the current standard requiring jails to have a good medical plan that insures timely and appropriate prenatal care, specialized obstetrical services when indicated, and postpartum care. 2. When a pregnant woman says that she is experiencing labor symptoms, the jail shall provide an immediate evaluation by an obstetric specialist. If there is no obstetric specialist on site, an ambulance shall be called immediately and the woman shall be transferred to an appropriate medical care facility. In the event that a woman gives birth in the correctional facility, immediately call an ambulance to transfer both the mother and baby to a hospital. 3. Prohibit the placement of pregnant women in any form of solitary confinement, including a medical segregation cell. No mother should have to endure Nicole Guerrero’s tragic loss. If you are as horrified by this story as we are, please sign this petition today. [1] Shelby Lin Erdman and Carma Hassan. “Texas woman claims she gave birth alone in jail, baby died.” CNN, May 24, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/23/us/texas-jail-baby-death/ [2] Diana Claitor and Burke Butler. “Pregnant women in Texas county jails deserve better than this.” Dallas News, June 26, 2014. http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20140626-pregnant-women-in-texas-county-jails-deserve-better-than-this.ece [3] Texas Jail Project. “Pregnant in a Texas County Jail?” January 1, 2013. http://www.texasjailproject.org/2013/01/pregnant-in-a-texas-jail/

We're sure you’ve heard the news: Sen. John Walsh has decided to take his name out of the running for re-election. Because Walsh already won the primary, the Montana Democratic Party now must hold a convention to pick a new candidate. It’s been rumored that some of the candidates in the mix aren’t pro-choice. Montana has a long history of electing pro-choice Democrats to statewide office who trust Montana women and support reproductive freedom. There's so much at stake in this election. If we lose this pro-choice seat in the Senate, it’s going to be that much harder to block attacks on our rights and nearly impossible to get qualified nominees onto our nation’s courts. We can influence this process by showing an overwhelming support for candidates who support reproductive freedom, but we have to move quickly. Join us in calling on the Montana Democratic Party to respect Montana voters by backing a Senate candidate who’ll be an advocate for a woman's right to access contraception and abortion.

You read that right. Gov. Scott Walker is trying to use the Hobby Lobby ruling to take birth control away from women. He thinks women shouldn't be guaranteed contraceptive coverage. We can’t stand by and let Gov. Walker use the Supreme Court decision to serve his own personal, anti-choice agenda. It’s up to us to hold the governor accountable for putting bosses’ beliefs ahead of health care that only women need. Sign our petition to Gov. Walker now. Tell him to keep his hands off our birth control.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists publicly recommended this change in December of 2012. The Statement can be viewed here http://www.acog.org/Resources_And_Publications/Committee_Opinions/Committee_on_Gynecologic_Practice/Over-the-Counter_Access_to_Oral_Contraceptives It is time to act.