Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: 08/27/2018 Weekly Review
Wednesday, September 5th, 2018
Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: In the weekly reviews from the Women’s Public Policy Network, we look back on last week’s highlights from the WPPN, share updates on bills affecting women that are moving at the Statehouse, showcase weekly news clips, and provide calls to action on bills pending in the Legislature. Sign up for our emails to receive these updates in your inbox every week!
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMEN’S FUND OF CENTRAL OHIO: WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE
Last week, The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio hosted a packed room of community leaders, advocates, and policy experts for a conversation on their Spark Report examining Women’s Health Care: Access to Contraception and Comprehensive, Medically Accurate Sex Education.Following the conversation, the Women’s Fund and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio shared tips and tools for attendees to become effective advocates.
Access to reproductive health care services, like contraception, is crucial for women’s ability to pursue educational opportunities, remain active in the workforce, and increase economic security. The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio’s research tells the story of how issues affect women and girls in Central Ohio. [Learn more].
Medium, August 23, 2018
Crain’s editorial: Medicaid’s marvel
Crain’s Cleveland Business, August 26, 2018
For Many Women, a World Without Abortion Access Is Already Here
The Village Voice, August 28, 2018
This Country Just Made All Sanitary Products Free For All Students
Newsweek, August 28, 2018
Rewire News, August 29, 2018
Rewire News, August 29, 2018
Columbus working to bring eviction rates down in the city
ABC6, August 29, 2018
New U.S. Sexual Misconduct Rules Bolster Rights of Accused and Protect Colleges
The New York Times, August 29, 2018
Marco Rubio’s Paid Family Leave Plan Is As Suspect As First Thought
Fatherly, August 30, 2018
Microsoft to Require Its Suppliers, Contractors to Give Paid Family Leave
The Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2018
Abolish the ‘Pink Tax’: There Will Be No Women’s Equality Without Menstrual Equity
Rewire News, August 31, 2018
Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) –
TEDxKingLincolnBronzville: CREATE
Saturday, September 8, 2018
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
East High School
1500 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43205
*Jessica Roach, CEO and Co-Founder of Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT), will be one of the featured speakers at the 2018 TEDxKLB
More information and reserve tickets (Use the name Jessica at check out and get 20% off your ticket)
The Children’s Defense Fund Ohio – Beat the Odds Legacy Event
Friday, September 14, 2018
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
The Ohio State University, Fawcett Center,
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio – Spark Report Coffee & Conversation: Equal Pay
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
8:00 am- 8:30 am: Coffee & light breakfast
8:30 am – 9:30 am: Presentation & Discussion
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio offices
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 230
Columbus, Ohio 43204
Cost: $10.00, scholarships available
Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence – Annual SART Summit
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Delaware County Board of Development Disabilities
7991 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, Oh 43035
YWCA Columbus – Activists and Agitators Event
Thursday, October 4, 2018
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Greater Columbus Convention Center
400 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
3RD ANNUAL OHIO URBAN RESOURCES SYSTEM CONFERENCE
Let’s Get Back to Work
Wednesday October 24 – Friday, October 26, 2018
Renaissance Toledo Downtown
444 N. Summit Street
Toledo, OH 43604
We are tracking the progress of any state bills affecting women in the Ohio Legislature for the 132nd General Assembly. The House and Senate were out last week and will also be out this upcoming week for summer recess, but we do have one update:
- House Bill 725 (Sykes, Boyd) – Medical Information: Requires entities that receive funding through the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program to provide only medically accurate information. This legislation is in response to previous budgets allocating funding through the program to so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which are most often not actually licensed or regulated health care clinics, do not provide reproductive healthcare services, and have a history of providing misleading, false, and medically inaccurate information about abortion to pregnant women seeking information about their options. The bill was introduced in the House on August 29, 2018.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is one of the nation’s primary tools in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The bill is up for re-authorization this year, and is set to expire on September 30, 2018.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has introduced a VAWA reauthorization bill in the U.S. House (H.R. 6545), but Congress has failed to take action to advance the legislation. The bill:
- Increases authorization for the Rape Prevention & Education Program from $50 million to $150 million to address skyrocketing need and demand for community prevention programs;
- Returns sovereignty to tribes to prosecute non-native offenders of sexual assault, trafficking, stalking, and child abuse;
- Adds new definitions including Abuse in Later Life; Alternative Justice Response; Digital Services; Forced Marriage; Economic Abuse; and Technological Abuse and updates the definition of domestic violence;
- Strengthens public housing protections for survivors including those seeking housing transfers based on safety concerns;
- Adds a new purpose to the Improving Criminal Justice Response grant program to implement alternative justice responses that are focused on victim autonomy, agency and safety to provide resolution and restitution for the victim;
- Strengthens privacy protections across state line, online with digital records, and preserves confidentiality upon survivor’s death in accordance with their wishes;
- Acknowledges the trauma of incarceration on women and their family members, especially their children, and improves health care services and trauma informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities;
- Improves enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and closes loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide; and
- Expands VAWA’s ability to respond to sexual harassment.
The VAWA re-authorization bill provides critical protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. But it needs your help to ensure passage before the September 30 deadline.
Call your member of Congress NOW [Find your Representative here]:
If your Representative has not signed on as a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 6545), urge them to do so immediately.
If your Representative has are already signed on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 6545, thank them for doing so.
RAISE YOUR VOICE TO #SAVESCOTUS
Today, the Senate began the confirmation hearings on Judge Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court. During Trump’s presidential campaign, he vowed to appoint only pro-life Judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade and dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Now, that threat is very real.
Kavanaugh’s nomination would be disastrous for women – particularly women of color. There is too much at stake; we to stand up and speak out against Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh’s nomination threatens to shift the balance of the courts and has proven that he will not stand up for the constitutional rights of women. He would fundamentally shift the balance of the courts against women, workers, LGBTQ people, and communities of color. Take action now.
