Category: Updates

On My Mind

On My Mind

We know Judges matters. They decide everything – our constitutional rights, malpractice judgements, divorces, white collar settlements, everything! So why aren’t we paying attention and demanding more control?

If Trump has done nothing else, he has made crystal clear how very important judges are! Trump has already appointed 2 Supreme Court Justices and 150+ right-wing, ultra-conservative, anti-choice judges, many of whom have been rated “unqualified”, who will change the face of our legal system for decades to come.

But it’s not just Trump. Here in Westchester, one could argue that judicial ethics rules are not truly ethical or impartial or even constitutional.

 Just this election cycle, the Subcommittee Chair of the Judicial Campaign Ethics Subcommittee, Advisory Committee, told judicial candidates they could not accept WCLA PAC’s endorsement. The reasons provided reference our endorsement policy but do so INCORRECTLY. Judicial candidates do not complete questionnaires nor are they asked to support anything that may require going against any law. The only accurate reference is that a candidate may “neither seek nor accept the Right to Life Party (RTL) nomination” – And that criteria seems justifiable because candidates are permitted to accept the RTL Party line, thereby making their opposition to abortion clear.

One must, therefore, ask, “Was this gross misrepresentation intentional or accidental?” Hmmm. Let’s consider these important facts: the Subcommittee Chair who issued this opinion: 1.) ran for Supreme Court 9th Judicial District in 2011 on the Republican and Conservative lines (the same year the Conservative Party and the Right to Life Party joined forces here in Westchester); 2.) was rated “anti-choice” by us, and 3.) then LOST the election. One can only wonder what this Subcommittee Chair’s motivations may be.

Here in New York State, judicial candidates often fear interviews, claiming that the NYS Ethics rules prohibit them from expressing their views on contentious issues like abortion. The rules they reference are in direct opposition to the 2002 US Supreme Court decision Republican Party of Minnesota vs White. In the 5 – 4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that Minnesota’s clause, which “forbade judicial candidates from announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues”, was unconstitutional. Why are NYS judicial candidates still being held to a pre-2002 standard? In all my years here, I’ve met only one judicial candidate willing to challenge that NYS Ethics position and, perhaps, it’s no surprise that he did not get his Party’s nod to run.

On another judicial note: our NYS Chief Justice is seeking to “streamline” the judicial system. Sounds great and in some ways is much needed, but the devil is in the details. The claim is that we don’t have enough justices where we need them. The proposed solution is to get rid of specific categories of judges including County, Court of Claims, Surrogate’s Court and Family Court. Instead, they will all be “Supreme Court” judges and can be moved around where needed.

Sounds good? Not necessarily. For example, take Family Court. Family Court requires a certain type of personality and commitment. The same person hearing white collar crime cases should not be deciding a custody battle. Who will decide which judge serves where and based upon what criteria? Will the decision be based simply on where a judge is needed? Does this mean that judges elected in northern NYS will be sitting on the bench in Westchester? Will we even still be electing judges or will they all be appointed?

The role personal perspective plays in judicial decisions is seismic, in all courts and at all levels. Personal opinions and biases affect how a judge treats those who come before her/ him/they, the sentence imposed, the bail required, and more.

Yes, the present system is flawed and cumbersome but it’s a lot better than appointments and what we are witnessing in Washington DC. We need a better system for electing judges, not simply replacing it.

Every time you vote for judicial candidates, you are voting for someone with a personal history. That is exactly why WCLA – Choice Matters interviews each judicial nominee and if the nominee refuses to be interviewed, we rate accordingly, as we always have. If someone wants to serve in the courts, we are all entitled to know more, as the US Supreme Court ruled in 2002.

Help Get These 6 KEY Senators to Stop Kavanaugh

Help Get These 6 KEY Senators to Stop Kavanaugh

Alert: Below are THE 6 US Senators who will decide the future of the nominee for the US Supreme Court, and thus the future of Roe v. Wade, the course of health care, and the direction of the US Supreme Court’s decisions for decades to come.

Getting these 6 to do the right thing is hard because the 4 Democrats are up for re-election in “red” states and the 2 Republicans don’t want to be at odds with their political party.

So we must show them the facts. Kavanaugh is Bad for Their Constituents.

We must call the 6 senators below and tell them “Vote NO on Kavanaugh. He will take away our coverage of pre-existing conditions.”

We need to make sure they know the facts. Here are just a few of the many impacting their constituents:

  • Joe Manchin needs to know that his state of West Virginia has THE highest number of people with pre-existing conditions and THE highest rate of diabetes in the country, and the 2nd highest in cancer deaths.
  • Joe Donnelly needs to know that his state of Indiana has the 7th highest rates of autism and is the 11th highest state in cancer deaths. Approximately 695,832 people (12.9%) of the population have diabetes, with another 1,719,000 (35.6%) of the adult population suffer from pre-diabetes. Every year approximately another 33,000 are diagnosed with diabetes.
  • Heidi Heitkamp needs to know that in her state of North Dakota, 33.9% have diabetes and pre-diabetes out of a state population of 755,393 (2017) – and that’s about one in two North Dakotans, 50 percent, lives with a pre-existing condition. North Dakota is one of the top 13 states in new lung cancer cases and survivals.
  • Claire McClaskill needs to know that in her state of Missouri, 51% of the population – more than 1 out of every 2 Missourians – has a pre-existing condition. 332,300 Missouri children already have been diagnosed with  pre-existing conditions, and that  Missouri has the 6th highest rate of lung cancer in the country – and that approximately 699,992 people in Missouri (13.2%) have diabetes, and another 1,625,000 people, (35.9%), have pre-diabetes.
  • Susan Collins needs to know that her state of Maine 53% of the population – more than 1 out of every 2 Mainers – is living with a pre-existing condition. Maine is 9th highest in cancer deaths and 11.1% of the adult population has diabetes. 28,000 people in Maine are living with Alzheimer’s disease, affecting an additional 69,000 family and friends.
  • Lisa Murkowski needs to know that in her state of Alaska 1 out of every 2 Alaskans has a pre-existing condition. Also, Alaska has the highest number of annual diagnosed cases of Alzheimer’s per year. 59,186 people in Alaska, (10.9% of the adult population) have already been diagnosed with diabetes, and that another 194,000 people (36.7% of the adult population) have pre-diabetes. The cancer rate in Alaska is higher than the national average. This is just a smattering of the facts about people who will be thrown off of health insurance.These 6 Senators need to know THEY MUST VOTE NO on Kavanaugh.

Brett Kavanaugh, the president’s nominee to become the next US Supreme Court, has already made clear that he believes companies cannot be required to cover pre-existing conditions as mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is not a party-based issue. It is in no way a partisan issue. Everyone in the country needs health care and there are over 130 million folks in the United States with pre-existing conditions.* (Find your state.)

(Kavanaugh also believes sitting presidents cannot be held accountable for their actions.)

We need to get the senators to focus on is that Kavanaugh’s first attack will be on the ACA’s coverage of pre-existing conditions. He has over 2.5 million people’s health care in the crosshairs.

In June, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit brought by 20 states challenging that ACA requirement that pre-existing conditions must be covered. They are asking that the courts eliminate these ACA protections. (The Lawsuit)

According to The Wall Street Journal, the adverse impact of this lawsuit will be felt on the individual market, including approximately 175 million people who get health coverage from small and large employers.*

This lawsuit is expected to make it to the US Supreme Court.

If Kavanaugh is confirmed, he will be the deciding vote to take away health insurance coverage from hundreds of millions of people with pre-existing conditions.

Examples of people who will lose coverage If Brett Kavanaugh becomes the next Supreme Court Justice:

  1. Any person on the Autism spectrum will be deemed having a pre-existing condition and will not be able to get coverage – AND IF THE FAMILY CAN FIND COVERAGE,  the cost will likely be through the roof. This is true for all special needs conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) April 2018 report, 1 in 59 children are living with an autism diagnosis.
  2. Dementia, Alzheimer’s: both pre-existing conditions. “An estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2018. This number includes an estimated 5.5 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.” “It is estimated that nearly 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease will be diagnosed this year.”
  3. Diabetes: 30.3 million people in the United States (9.4% of the population) have diabetes, according to the 2017 National Diabetes Statistics, 2017, published by the CDC. West Virginia has the highest rate of diabetes in the nation.
  4. Pregnancy will be deemed a pre-existing condition as it was before the ACA became law. According to Dr. Leah Kaufman, Legislative Chair of District II of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a pregnant woman could end up paying $17,000 a year for health insurance.*

These 6 US Senators will determine the future of Roe v. Wade and direction of the US Supreme Court’s decisions for decades to come.

US Senator Joe Donnelly

Indiana – Democrat

Washington, D.C.
720 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4814
Fax: (202) 224-5011


Click Here for locations & telephone numbers of offices in Indiana

 

US Senator Joe Manchin

West Virginia – Democrat

Washington, D.C.

306 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3954
Fax:(202) 228-0002

Click Here for locations & telephone numbers of offices in West Virginia

 

US Senator Heidi Heitkamp

North Dakota – Democrat

Washington, D.C.

SH-516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2043
Fax: (202) 224-7776

Click Here & go to the bottom of the page for locations & telephone numbers of offices in North Dakota

 

US Senator Clair McClaskill

Missouri – Democrat

Washington, D.C.
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6154
Fax: (202) 228-6326

US Senator Susan Collins

Maine – Republican

Washington, D.C.
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693

US Senator Lisa Murkowski

Alaska – Republican

Washington, D.C.
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6665
Fax: (202) 224-5301Click Here for locations & telephone numbers of offices in Alaska

 

  • https://www.npr.org/2018/06/08/618263772/trump-administration-move-imperils-pre-existing-condition-protections
  • https://www.protectourcare.org/130-million-strong-month-of-action/
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/brett-kavanaugh-could-take-an-ax-to-obamacare/2018/07/09/c8817c50-83df-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f4b1cd989379
  • Get Health Coverage at Work? Lawsuit Against ACA Could Affect You, Too, Wall Street Journal, 6/13/2018
  • https://www.findatopdoc.com/Healthy-Living/15-US-states-with-highest-rates-of-autism/7-Indiana
  • State of Obesity Better Policies for a Healthier America, Diabetes in the United States
  • www.firstquotehealth.com/health-insurance-news/pregnancy-pre-existing-condition
  • https://fox2now.com/2018/03/01/missouri-has-the-6th-highest-lung-cancer-rate-in-the-nation/
  • http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/Advocacy/burden-of-diabetes/missouri.pdf
  • https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/alzheimers-disease-facts-figures
  • https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
  • https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Kavanaugh-SCOTUS-First-Look.pdf
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12283140068462647556&q=661%2BF.3d%2B1%2B&hl=en&as_sdt=20003
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7566948244478302925&q=799%2BF.3d%2B1035&hl=en&as_sdt=20003

 

The Hypocrisy of the Anti-Choice Zealots’ Zero Tolerance Policy

The Hypocrisy of the Anti-Choice Zealots’ Zero Tolerance Policy

By: Jane Forman, Guest Blogger

Children are being torn from their families, put in cages, and left uncertain if and when they’ll see their parents again. This is the reality for over 2,000 immigrant children as a result of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy which began in May, and for months before as a part of a “pilot” program. Not only is the policy inhumane, but it also exposes a real hypocrisy among many politicians. How is it that the very elected officials who champion the rights of the fetus are ready to throw the “born” into concentration camps?

Many of these politicians who refuse to support a comprehensive reunification program of children with their parents are also the politicians who rally behind the message that “every life” has value and should be protected by society. According to the anti-woman Pro-Life Action League, “Every child, regardless of the circumstances of his or her conception, will be welcomed and loved.” – unless that child happens to be non-white. Many of the same people who’ve been silent or indifferent to the crisis produced by Trump’s zero-tolerance policy profess support for the anti-choice “right to life” stance. This message – touted by mostly white male representatives – apparently does not apply to the lives of immigrants who are not in-utero, and are coming to this country from non-white nations.

Every Democrat in the Senate signed a bill that would have prioritized connecting the State department with various countries’ governments to facilitate immediate family reunification. The bill would have also addressed some of the issues affecting immigrant men, women, and children such as rape, sex-trafficking, femicide, and violence. But not one single Senate Republicans has supported the bill – without which it cannot pass the Senate!

Separating these children from their parents, most of them below the age of 12, is a complete rejection of their emotional and physical well-being. Doctors and child welfare advocates not only cite the damaging effect of the short-term anxiety experienced by the separated children, but also that it puts them at a higher risk of PTSD, depression, and attention deficit disorder. These care facilities, regardless of their good intentions, cannot provide the concentrated love and comfort that shape children during their early developmental stages. Further, the longer the period of separation, the longer the recovery will take.

As one contract worker wrote, “They’re in crisis. They’re just crying uncontrollably.” “We’ve seen young kids having panic attacks, they can’t sleep, they’re wetting the bed. They regress developmentally, where they may have been verbal but now they can no longer talk.”

In addition, because there has been no tracking of the children, the reunification process will take months.

This kind of major governmental failure is not uncommon when it comes to immigrants of colors. As a nation, we’ve systematically shut out non-white immigrants throughout our history. Whether it was the Chinese Exclusion Act, The Immigration Act of 1924, or trying to stop immigrants from “shithole countries,” racial identity plays a major role in one’s ability to come to the U.S.

Trump’s own wife is a recipient of this privilege. Melania is a recipient of the Einstein Visa (for a reason no one is quite sure of,) and was able to sponsor her parents’ immigration as well. But this familial sponsorship is now considered to be “chain-migration” by her husband and he’s working to dismantle it.

It becomes more important as Trump destroys the lives of so many immigrant families to call out the hypocrisy that infects his government, and his family. Anything less than reunification must be called out so our country can finally treat every immigrant, regardless of their skin color, as human beings.

Why do anti-choice fanatics think the rights and well-being of “born” children are less important than the rights of fetuses? Because their position is based on controlling women. The separation and division of immigrant families are about control and humiliation – just like their anti-choice one is about doing the same to women.

Our Resistance & former Attorney General Schneiderman 

Our Resistance & former Attorney General Schneiderman 

Dear Friends,

Many New Yorkers are still reeling from the news story that broke on Monday. Four women are accusing now former NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of violence and abuse.

It is hard to reconcile that the described actions and accusations can be attributed to the same person that inspired many of us and led the charge on so many progressive fronts.

We at WCLA – Choice Matters won’t attempt to.

The former Attorney General was to be our keynote speaker on June 14th. Clearly, that is no longer the case.

Violence of the kind described is always wrong and cannot be explained away. People must always be held accountable.

As we navigate our way forward, we must hold on to some rock-solid truths:

  1. Over the past 8 years, the New York Attorney General’s office has been the most progressive AG’s office in the country. It was an office that showed no fear when threatened by Washington. It fought relentlessly for comprehensive reproductive rights for all, Dreamers in the DACA program, immigrants facing the travel ban, workers cheated of their wages, environmental protection, and voting rights. The AG’s office was THE legal resistance holding Donald Trump accountable to the law.And that can continue to be the case. The work of the Attorney General’s office was not conducted by one person.The staff that did the legal work to make those fights a reality is still in place. Eric Schneiderman was the face of the office but it was the staff that did the heavy lifting. We must support the staff, and elect an AG who will allow them to keep moving this progressive agenda forward;
  2. It is clear that a double standard is alive and well in the United States. While New Yorkers would not tolerate such behavior by one of its own elected officials, the country has a president that brags about assaulting women and encourages voters to support a pedophile. We must keep up the legal resistance and demand that all play by the same rules; and
  3. Every Election Matters. Whether it is a school board election (which occurs in Westchester next Tuesday) or County or State or Federal one – every election matters. The message “when they go low, we go local” must become the mantra of our resistance. We can only advance a progressive pro-choice agenda if we vote.

Here at WCLA – Choice Matters, we continue to work to advance reproductive freedom. Thursday, June 14th, is the date of our annual gala. This annual event raises funds necessary to pay for some of the arduous grassroots work we do.

Please save the date and stay tuned for the announcement of our new featured speaker!

Sincerely,
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett
President

Voting – Why Bother? Part Two

Voting – Why Bother? Part Two

After the 2016 Presidential election, any enthusiasm people had about voting was torn away. How could Donald Trump still be president after it was exposed that the election was fraught with Russian meddling, and with the majority of votes —more than 3 million— being cast for Hillary Clinton? Many of us lived in denial up until the moment of the inauguration.

It was truly an election that made you wonder what the point was in voting.

But then reality hit like a ton of bricks. Yes, we’re living in the time of Donald Trump, and yes, we’re angry, but that doesn’t mean we give up control and let other people rule —  quite the opposite, in fact.

In times when it feels like so much is out of our control, voting is one of the few means we have to exercise decision-making power. The reality is that voter turnout is historically low in this country. In turn, when voter turnout is low, every single vote cast counts more. A single vote can make the difference.

Elections can be so close that they result in a tie, like in Irvington, NY[1] or in Virginia this year. One was decided by the flip of coin and the other by the drawing of one name out of a can[2]. NYS Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins lost by 18 votes in 2004[3], and then turned around and won in 2006.  In the 2016 New York State Senate race for the 8th district seat, Democrat John Brooks beat Republican incumbent Michael Venditto[4] by only 33 votes out of 128,965 votes cast.[5]

Even more recently, the 2017 Alabama Special Election for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions showed the importance of individual votes. The unimaginable actually happened: Alabama voters elected a Democrat to the Senate. Doug Jones claimed victory over his Republican opponent, Roy Moore. Jones won by around 20,000 votes. That was the first time a Democrat won in Alabama in decades. If those voters had stayed home because they thought a Democrat could never win, a child molester would have been elected.

Still not convinced that going to the polls makes a difference? In September of 1975, the closest Senate election ever took place. After two separate recounts, the original win by Wyman of 355 votes was narrowed down to a two (2) vote margin.[6] This is the best possible example of why the votes of individual citizens matter. In this race every vote truly did count and matter.

A good time to sit out on an election is NEVER. Every election from school board to president matters. You have to start at the base to build a pyramid.

Granted, it’s impossible to know when your vote could change history. But do you really want to risk it? After all, if you sit out an election, you’re giving up control of your life to others. You’re letting go of the only control you have of who governs you and how.

—————————————————————-

[1] https://www.irvingtonny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/54

[2] https://www.npr.org/2018/01/04/573504079/virginia-republican-david-yancey-wins-tie-breaking-drawing

[3] http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E1DE163AF93AA35751C0A9639C8B63

[4]http://www.liherald.com/westhempstead/stories/Brooks-Venditto-tied-in-89th-District-senate-race,85449

[5]https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/new-york-state-senate-district-8

[6]https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Closest_election_in_Senate_history.htm

Millennials, Listen Up!

Millennials, Listen Up!

As I walked out of my small high school in a rural southern town on my final day of classes, I was excited about all of the possibilities that awaited me when I reached college.

One was the prospect of being surrounded by politically like-minded individuals at the liberal arts school I would attend in the fall. I naively thought that because of this relocation, I would never have to bang my head against the wall after hearing a fellow student’s comments on politics ever again. I was entirely wrong. Although the political climate here is much less hostile than it is at home, it still seems that there’s a disconnect between what’s happening politically and the students who call themselves activists.

Many of them have never voted even though the majority of them are of legal voting age. They’re perfectly content to protest outside Trump Tower on the weekends, but when it comes to mobilizing voters and going to the polls themselves, they fall painfully short. Additionally, there is too much focus placed on Trump’s personal issues. As awful as Trump can be, spending too much time gossiping about his relationship with a porn star and discussing his latest inflammatory tweet won’t do anything to prevent his political agenda from succeeding.

Millennials – the non-voting majority!

Millennials have to step up our game if we want anything to change. We are now the largest voting-eligible generation in the country! This power that we have is being undercut, however, by the fact that we have the lowest voter turnout rate of any age group. This is completely unacceptable. It is fair to feel disempowered when we are young and our elected officials seem so out of touch. It is fair to be frustrated. However, it is up to us to change that.

Millennials have the numbers now to turn the tide of elections. We have to stay informed, research candidates, and support the ones we believe in. Even when there are no candidates that perfectly align with our desires, that does not mean we have a free pass to sit out. We must – in these cases – vote preventatively to keep the people who seek to destroy our rights out of office. We must fight back against conservatives whose mission it is to tear us away from our contraceptives and our access to safe and legal abortions. We must fight back against candidates that have been accused of crimes such as sexual assault and sexual harassment. We must fight back against candidates who seek to take away power from women in any way.

Our days of being trapped in the kitchen voiceless and oppressed are over and we must keep it that way. Any time we choose to sit out an election is a time when we could have kept such candidates out of office with our votes. Let this serve as a call to action. Take your anger not only to the streets, but to the polls and to the offices of your representatives.

Double Barreled Shotgun Aimed at Our Rights

Double Barreled Shotgun Aimed at Our Rights

Donald and his Republican NRA-driven Congress can’t get gun control done but they sure can come after our civil rights, which includes the right to control out own bodies.

Today, Donald Trump issued two new rules which allow employers to deny women copay-free birth control.

This is discriminatory and a direct attack on a fundamental component of the Affordable Care Act. Birth control is expensive and, for many, not affordable.

They have also cut funding to all programs that assist educating or raising kids – special needs or otherwise. But they want to force women to keep having them.

This comes from an administration that has shown total disregard and disrespect for  women, particularly lower wage earning women. It is also an all-out assault on people of color of all ages and genders.

In the past 6 weeks, we’ve also witnessed the huge distinction in attitude and attention paid by this administration to hurricane victims in Texas and Florida as compared to those in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. FYI: The people of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands cannot vote for president. One might conclude it’s all about the Donald and his base.

That’s who the Donald plays to.  His  personal obsession for attacking all things “Obama” really gets them revved, and also distracted. His base doesn’t care about Iran or North Korean, but they do care about making their religious convictions the law of this land.

Earlier in the week, the House passed a 20-week abortion ban. Now it is said to be heading to the Senate.

Read: 20-Week Abortion Ban – No Big Deal? Think Again!

The Iowa Supreme Court just upheld a 72-hour waiting period — Another REALLY big deal

Remember: Just like shotguns, elections have consequences, and we are clearly on the wrong end of this one.

20-Week Abortion Ban – No Big Deal? THINK AGAIN!

20-Week Abortion Ban – No Big Deal? THINK AGAIN!

If you’re a woman in your 30s or 40s, beware – the 20-week abortion ban is aimed at you.
Even though it was beaten back in the Senate in September, the 20-week abortion ban will be back. It’s been passed in the House and is already the law in 13 states. Anti-choice extremists in Congress want to make it the law everywhere.
These zealots are targeting your right to decide whether or not to have a healthy child. They want to force you to give birth to a child who is suffering from chromosome abnormalities and/or genetic disorders – whether you want to or not.
Those of us who get pregnant in our 30s and in our 40s are at a greater risk of giving birth to a child with a birth defect, because of our age. We know this.
I knew this so I had three Amniocenteses, one in each of my pregnancies. It’s the most accurate and the safest test you can have. An Amnio tests for chromosome abnormalities and genetic disorders, and also detects neural tube defects which are birth defects of the brain, spine, and spinal cord – the two most common of which are spina bifida and anencephaly.
But you can’t get it until the second trimester.
An Amnio is performed at 17-19 weeks, and it takes another 2-3 weeks to get the results. That will take you to 19 to 22 weeks.
You’ll be out of time to get an abortion if anti-choice extremists in Congress and in states
across the country have their way.
That means all of us women, who want to have children, will no longer be able to have accurate testing for chromosome abnormalities, genetic disorders, or neural tube defects,
and do something with the results.
The possible loss of this right is very real – and this is not to even mention, what if your life is at stake.
The Bastion of White Male Privilege

The Bastion of White Male Privilege

I confess. I read the obituaries regularly. I like to. They are a great glimpse into history. You read about people you may never have heard about and about accomplishments you may never have known occurred.

But, truthfully, what is omitted is more striking. With rare exception, there are no women – and the few people of color mentioned are men.

Some might argue that men generally die before their female spouses, and, therefore, there is no one left to write the obituary for the wife when she goes. Really??

The truth is that the men who inspire long obits and thanks from different boards did not reap their accomplishments on their own, but rather just did not share the public glory. This speaks to “behind every great man is a woman.”

I have had the pleasure of meeting many of these women, the wives who have outlived their successful husbands, and are still here providing the funds necessary for the not-for-profit world to survive. They recognize what abortion rights means, and what not having them also means. When we speak, I do not have to navigate the artificial obstacles – minors’ rights, emergency contraception, waiting periods, sonograms. Abortion is abortion – a necessary medical procedure that must be available to all regardless of age, race, religion or ability to pay. These women know and understand.

They are older now, and often rely on another woman, a housekeeper or an aide who is usually of color. Together these two women navigate their way. This is a relationship not to be romanticized but to be recognized.

Sometimes one or the other will share a story with me. They’ve usually been together a long time, and rely on one another. Their lives and station in society are without doubt very different, but they do have one thing in common: neither will be highlighted in The New York Times obituaries. The widow will, at most, be described as “Mrs. Joe Smith, the wife of the great…” The aide won’t even receive that mention.

This power to erase women’s accomplishments has not changed with time. In contrast to the chronicling of the deaths of younger men, when younger women die we are told the cause of death rather than what they did.

Perhaps, the true measure of how far we have, or have not, come and the thickness of the glass ceiling is found in the obituary column.

Hate Right Here in Westchester

– What we feared is indeed the new reality –
This White House is in the hands of
anti-Semitic misogynistic white supremacists.

Dear Pro-Choice Voters,

Donald Trump and his closest advisers have turned the clock back to a time where discrimination and hate were an accepted, common trait of American life. They began before the General Election with hate mongering intended to stir the base and intimidate everyone else. Beginning with the Muslim ban to reinstating and expanding the Mexico City Policy* to trampling on LGBT rights**, Trump was laying the groundwork for the resurgence of the KKK and Nazi demonstrations and violence we saw this weekend.

But make no mistake, this ideology of hate and the intimidation tactics the Trump administration employs are not limited to Charlottesville or the South. It is right here in Westchester County and being spirited forward by Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.

On August 17th,  Astorino vetoed the Immigration Protection Act – a bill that was in total compliance with federal law and that had passed the Board of Legislators 10-5.  The goal of the bill was to stop local law enforcement from acting as federal immigration officials, thereby protecting county resources and building trust in our communities. 

Why did Astorino do this?

You need look no further than the praise Astorino’s veto received from Trump’s AG Jeff Sessions.

Remember this is THE Jeff Sessions who said the KKK is “OK”*** and used a Supreme Court case permitting the racial segregation of swimming pools to justify the Muslim ban.

This was not Astorino’s first attempt to please Trump. Back in the fall, when swastikas and racist graffiti started appeared around Westchester, Astorino blamed Obama and Clinton supporters, telling both leaders to calm their supporters – just as Trump blamed those who were demonstrating peacefully against the Nazis and KKK in Charlottesville.

Only you can put an end to this hate mongering by our elected officials here in Westchester.
And that is by VOTING – And if you are not registered, do so: Register Here


*Here’s What Donald Trump Did  Trump’s Mexico City Policy **Trump Tramples on LGBT Rights

***Jeff Session: Comments on Race

Trump Administration Cites Segregation