UltraViolet Action

Campaigns

• Rep. Todd Akin must resign

  Victims of "legitimate rape" can't get pregnant because a woman's body will shut down and prevent the pregnancy. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) actually said that–in other words, he's saying that if a woman does get pregnant, she must not have been raped. Even scarier? He's running, and leading, in the race for Missouri Senate. What he said was bad, but it was hardly a gaffe or poor choice of words. In 2011 he and Rep. Paul Ryan led the push in the House of Representatives to redefine rape as "forcible rape" to further restrict rape survivors' access to abortions. As a state senator, Akin questioned whether anti-marital rape laws would be abused by women in messy divorces Anyone who doesn't understand basic biology and tries to create more hurdles for rape survivors seeking justice doesn't belong in the United States Congress. Sign the petition calling Rep. Akin to resign right away.

  162,772 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Kat Barr, UltraViolet
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  Tell the FDA and State Leaders: Lift abortion restrictions!

  More and more healthcare providers are turning to telemedicine to ensure continued access to health care for patients while reducing the need for patients to travel to receive medical care, risking exposure to coronavirus. Both patients and doctors win in this scenario. Medication abortion, when a pregnant person takes two types of pills that induce an abortion before 10-12 weeks, can also be conducted under the supervision of a physician via telemedicine. It is a safe and effective way to broaden access to abortion care for pregnant people. And yet, 18 states force patients to travel to a clinician's office for medication abortion, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), despite the recommendations of medical experts including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, refuses to lift restrictions on mifepristone, one of the medications needed for medication abortion, that would enable providers to mail it to patients or prescribe it for pickup at a pharmacy. These restrictions are nothing more than ideological, anti-woman excuses to restrict access to abortion. The impact of these restrictions fall disproportionately on women of color, indigenous people, disabled people, and low-income folks. But if enough of us raise our voices and demand the FDA lift restrictions on mifepristone and that state lawmakers expand access to telemedicine for abortion, we can raise enough pressure to force the FDA and state lawmakers to expand access to abortion care and allow telemedicine!

  1,977 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by SONJA SPOO
• Tell NBC and MGM to release the Trump tapes

  If you thought the tape of Donald Trump bragging about sexual assault to NBC's Billy Bush was bad, buckle up. Multiple TV producers say there's worse footage, much worse, of Trump saying sexually predatory and extremely racist things. But NBC is refusing to release the footage. In fact for years now, the network has been protecting Trump. We can force the NBC and MGM, the studio that now owns the unaired footage from Trump's reality TV show, to stop protecting Trump and release the rest of the tapes.

  124,675 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna
• Recall Judge James P. McClusky

  A New York judge just let a child rapist off with no jail time and—unbelievably—justified it by saying he "only" raped one girl. "Only" one—these are the words of Judge James McClusky. Last week, Judge McClusky sentenced Shane Piche, a school bus driver, to probation and $365 in fines for raping a 14-year-old child he met on his bus route. Judge McClusky cannot be trusted to protect survivors of sexual assault, and he needs to be removed from the bench. This case is getting a ton of attention on social media and in the news, and calls are coming from across the country for the commission on judicial conduct to remove McClusky from his position permanently. According to court records, Piche lured her and other minors to his house, gave them alcohol — and then raped her. It's horrifying that this even needs to be said, but one child raped is too many. Piche was the bus driver responsible for getting his victim to school. He was entrusted with children and instead used his position to rape a young girl. But Judge McClusky didn't even put Piche on the level 2 sex offender registry, because there were not multiple victims. The victim's mother has stated, "I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child. He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety." One victim is one too many, and Judge McClusky had a responsibility to hold Piche accountable. Judge McClusky is failing as a justice, and he should be removed from his position immediately.

  130,103 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Shaunna Thomas, UltraViolet
• Tell Amazon: Dump Trump

  Despite Donald Trump's sexist, racist comments, Amazon is promoting and profiting from him and his brand. The online behemoth sells Trump's line of menswear--even though companies like Macy's bailed on Trump's brand of hate last year. Trump is inciting violence at his rallies and spewing vitriol that white supremacists like David Duke love. So why is Amazon continuing to support the Trump empire? Many of us use Amazon, and the company has responded to our pressure before over the selling of sexist products. It needs to follow suit when it comes to Trump products. Will you add your name now?

  68,304 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet
• Shame on CNN: Apologize for Steubenville coverage.

  Yesterday a guilty verdict was handed down in the Steubenville rape case, where a 16-year-old girl was raped repeatedly by boys on a high school football team. The verdict was the beginning of justice for this brave young girl, but CNN's coverage was awful. The entire CNN panel, including Candy Crowley, reporter Poppy Harlow and legal analyst Paul Callan focused on what a tragedy this was for the boys and what a shame it was that their lives had been ruined. It was as if the rape was some sort of unfortunate accident and they hadn't committed a very serious, invasive, and, for the survivor, life-altering crime. CNN didn't focus on what this verdict meant for Jane Doe. It only focused on sad reflections of the "destroyed" lives of these boys that were caught raping a girl. This is wrong and CNN owes us all an apology. Can you add your name to the petition?

  131,507 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet
• TELL THE USGA + LPGA: DUMP TRUMP!

  The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is holding its most prestigious tournament--the 2017 U.S. Women's Open--at Donald Trump's New Jersey golf resort. Yep, a women's organization wants to give millions in revenue, free advertising and good branding to Donald Trump. It's straight up offensive. And even US senators agree--on October 26, three of them wrote to the head of the US Golf Association (USGA), who is in charge of venue decisions, urging him to refuse to affiliate the tournament with a racist serial sexual predator. Big companies like Uber and Nordstrom have already cut significant ties with Trump. If enough of us speak up and join the mounting pressure, the USGA + LPGA will be forced to move the tournament. Can you sign the petition?

  1,771 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna
• Remove Judge Aaron Persky from the bench!

  A judge just sentenced a Stanford University star athlete--who was caught in the act of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman--to only six months in jail. Why? Because the judge, Aaron Persky, worried that a prison sentence would have a "severe impact on him"--yes, the rapist--and said, "I think he will not be a danger to others." It's a horrifying example of rape culture: when a judge is more concerned with the well-being of a rapist than with justice or public safety. This judge has no business staying on the bench. Now the story is making headlines around the country and Judge Persky is coming under fire. If we all speak out, we can generate enough outrage to force California's judicial oversight commission to remove Judge Persky from the bench--and send a message to judges and law enforcement everywhere that rape culture has no place in our courts. Will you add your name?

  2,037 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet
• Stop attacking Elizabeth Warren and the CFPB

  The head of the Democratic Party, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is trying to hamstring Elizabeth Warren's signature initiative--and throwing women under the bus in the process. She is cosponsoring a bill that would pave the way for payday lenders to rip off women for years to come. Even worse, she's rallying other Democrats to join her in advancing the bill. Payday lenders exploit poor people, especially women and people of color, with enormous fees and interest rates. They're a huge reason that Senator Elizabeth Warren and President Obama created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). If Rep. Wasserman Schultz's bill goes into effect, it'll be at least two more years before the CFPB can start reigning in some of the worst payday lenders. But the backlash is growing, and if enough of us pile on, she'll have to abandon the bill. Will you add your name?

  501 of 600 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet
• Pier 1: Don't discriminate against pregnant workers!

  Kimberly Caselman was shocked when she was forced to leave work—without pay. After all, she loved her job at Pier 1. She was doing her work well and counting on the income since there was a new baby on the way. But what she didn't realize is that Pier 1 has an illegal policy on its books--pregnant workers are given 8 weeks of light duty and then forced to take unpaid leave, whether they want to or not. It's not only blatantly discriminatory, but also against the law--California mandates that employers provide "reasonable accommodation" for pregnant workers if their doctor recommends it. For Caselman, that request couldn't be more "reasonable"--she simply asked not to climb ladders or lift more than 15 pounds at her doctor's request. But there is one silver lining to this story--until Caselman spoke up, few people outside the company knew about Pier 1's discriminatory policy. Pier 1 markets heavily to women and, as a home goods retailer, cares a lot about its family friendly image. If its executives feel backlash from thousands of people for their appalling policy, they will have to change it or face a public relations nightmare that will hurt its bottom line. Will you stand up for women like Kimberley facing discrimination?

  86 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet