In the weekly updates from the Women’s Public Policy Network, we highlight some of the work we have been up to this week, share updates on bills affecting women that are moving at the Statehouse, and provide calls to action on bills pending in the Legislature. Sign up for our email list to receive these updates in your inbox every week!
Congressional Republicans were attempting to pass the Graham-Cassidy bill – a proposal that would have had devastating impacts for women – before the Sept. 30th procedural deadline when only 50 votes were needed.
But thanks to the calls made, emails sent, and protests held by advocates like you, we succeeded in defeating this last-ditch attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While it’s important to celebrate this victory, the fight to protect health care from assaults at the federal and state level is not over. Stay tuned for future health care updates and calls to action!
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WHAT DEVOS’S TITLE IX DECISION MEANS
In an earlier blog post, we discussed the likelihood that the U.S. Education Department would roll back Obama-era guidelines on Title IX. These guidelines – known as the ‘Dear Colleague’ letter – clarified and reinforced the obligations that colleges and universities have to take action when allegations of sexual assault are levied on their campuses.Now that Secretary DeVos has announced that those guidelines have been rescinded, there is concern for what that means for sexual assault survivors on campuses. This decision, made largely on Secretary Devos’s belief that more consideration needs to be made for the accused in these situations, is a direct attack on the rights of sexual assault survivors. It reinforces the shaming and blaming of survivors, and could potentially discourage survivors from coming forward.
But as our partners at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) remind us, Title IX is still the law. That means that schools still have an obligation to take action and provide a safe and equitable learning environment free. We will join with other advocacy organizations and activists to step up and speak out to make sure that remains true. Read the full statement from the OAESV here. |
One Ohio mom and advocate shares her family’s story on our blog to demonstrate why the program is so critical and what’s at stake if the funding expires. Read the full post here.
House Republicans Want to Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks
Refinery29, September 27, 2017
Race and infant mortality: Why are black babies in Northeast Ohio dying more?
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 27, 2017
Letter: Don’t put limits on women’s care
The Columbus Dispatch, September 28, 2017
Will Betsy DeVos’s Title IX Decision Really Make Schools Less Safe For Women?
Bustle, September 29, 2017
There are no scheduled partner events for next week, but visit our Partner Events Calendar for more details on future events hosted by our coalition partners across the state.
Without a reauthorization of the funding, all states are expected to run out of money within the year – some even as early as this December. Congressional action is critically important to ensure the program continues without disruption.
TAKE ACTION: Contact your members of Congress and urge them to take action immediately to reauthorize CHIP funding. Tell them that nearly nine million children – including over 200,000 Ohio children – and their families are depending on them to extend funding for the program, and that they must make this a priority.