West Pinellas NOW

Search this site

Home

       West Pinellas National Organization for Women

          P.O. Box 336, Ozona, FL 34660

          (727) 738-0007  wpinellasnow@gmail.com
                                              Join NOW

And Together We Can Make Equality a Reality

NOW is the largest, most comprehensive feminist advocacy group in the United States. Our purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in society — sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination.

TOGETHER LET US "NIX-SIX"    *****     PLEASE JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN 



logo1.gif



BALLOT INITIATIVE 6 – EXCLUDING WOMEN FROM THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION

 

As HJR 1179 made its way through the Florida Legislature last session, the bill was presented as a way to restrict public funding of abortion — which is already illegal and has been for three decades. But one of the underplayed consequences is that it would also roll back a constitutional privacy right in the Florida Constitution, which currently provides more protection for women than the U.S. Constitution does.

Article 1 § 23 of the Florida Constitution states that  “Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life…”. This promise has been used as the precedent for most of the pro-choice legal decisions in our state. 

The Florida Supreme Court in their landmark decision,  In re T.W., A Minor, 551 So.2d 1186 (Fla.1989),  found that the right to abortion in Florida was guaranteed based on this explicit ‘right to privacy’ thus making Florida’s privacy rights broader in scope than that of the federal Constitution.

House Joint Resolution 1179, which has become Initiative 6 on the November 2012 Ballot, proposes “the creation of a Section 28 of Article I of the State Constitution to generally prohibit public funding of abortions and prohibit the State Constitution from being interpreted to create broader rights to an abortion than those contained in the United States Constitution.” While the bill summary includes this information, some might take issue with the amendment’s title: “Prohibition on Public Funding of Abortions; Construction of Abortion Rights.”

This is a direct assault on women and their basic rights as currently guaranteed here in Florida. It is incumbent upon us to educate every person we know what a travesty this attempt is to every female in this State. It is part of a continuing War on Women that Right Wing ideologues are waging in this nation. Such a precedent creates a slippery slope that the people of the State of Florida need to reject. Women's rights are human rights.

Please join NOW’s campaign to Nix Six!

http://www.nix-six.com

Please invite us to your club, organization or association to do a presentation on Nix-Six and why 

Amendment 6 is so dangerous to all Florida citizens ....

Please "Like" us on Facebook too.  

Thanks to the Florida NOW Ed Fund for financial support.


Connecting the Dots . . .

NOW is one of the few multi-issue progressive organizations in the United States. NOW stands against all oppression, recognizing that racism, sexism and homophobia are interrelated, that other forms of oppression such as classism and ableism work together with these three to keep power and privilege concentrated in the hands of a few.

Government, our judicial system, big business, mainstream media and other institutions treat many groups in our society like second-class citizens. Pitting us against each other is an essential mechanism for maintaining the status quo. Together, we can create the change we've been dreaming of—our unity is our strength.

NOW's Top Six Priority Issues

How Does NOW Take Action?

Educating the public and media about the status of and threats to women's rights

Organizing rallies, protests, demonstrations and marches of all sizes

Protesting businesses that mistreat women and people of color

Lobbying for and writing laws that promote full equality for women

Registering new voters and inspiring them to get to the polls

Recruiting and electing feminist candidates at all levels of government

Initiating and supporting lawsuits against violators of women's rights

Demanding fair and unbiased courts and judicial nominees

Working in coalition with progressive allies

Get Active in a NOW Campaign and Help Change the World!

 

Educating the public and media about the status of and threats to women's rights

Organizing rallies, protests, demonstrations and marches of all sizes

Protesting businesses that mistreat women and people of color

Lobbying for and writing laws that promote full equality for women

Registering new voters and inspiring them to get to the polls

Recruiting and electing feminist candidates at all levels of government

Initiating and supporting lawsuits against violators of women's rights

Demanding fair and unbiased courts and judicial nominees

Working in coalition with progressive allies

Get Active in a NOW Campaign and Help Change the World!

Save the Supreme Court
Protect the court from a right-wing takeover
by anti-woman, anti-civil rights judges

Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign
Demand discrimination-free workplaces
Protest "Merchants of Shame" like Wal-Mart

Campus Action Network/High School Clubs
Increase young feminist activism

Equal Marriage Rights NOW
Win full marriage rights for same-sex couples

Social Security Protection
Advocate for real improvements that help women

Love Your Body - NOW Foundation
Challenge dangerous beauty standards
Promote positive body images

NOW's Grassroots Power

Founded in 1966 by a small but determined group of women's rights advocates, NOW has more than 500,000 contributing members and hundreds of chapters across the U.S. NOW members are the heart, soul and muscle behind the group. They elect leaders, set policy and determine our agenda. NOW's vast and diverse membership gives us clout in the government, media and the public eye. By speaking out and taking action, NOW activists make change happen at the local, state and national leve. Because we don't rely on foundation or corporate dollars, NOW's work for equality and justice is made possible by membershup dues, individual donations and volunteer hours.

NOW Member Benefits

Each NOW member can get involved at your own speed. Once you join, you'll start receiving our National NOW Times newspaper, a great place to start if you simply want in-depth analysis on feminist issues. If that gets you fired up, you can sign-up for email alerts and take action right on our web site. Get even more involved by joining your local chapter at no extra cost. Then, you might want to attend a National Conference and help shape policy. It's up to you...but whatever you do, you'll be making a difference.

Join NOW



Women's Rights Activists GET RESULTS . . .

Women win the right to vote in 1920.

The birth control pill is approved in 1960.

The Equal Pay Act is passed in 1963.

The Civil Rights Act passes in 1964, outlawing sex discrimination in employment.

In 1967 NOW leads a successful fight to extend Affirmative Action in federal contracts to women.

In 1972 Shirley Chisholm, first African-American woman to run for president, is endorsed by NOW.

Women win Title IX in 1972, prohibiting sex discrimination in education and school athletics.

In 1973 Roe v. Wade establishes a woman's legal right to abortion.

In 1978 feminists win a ban on employment discrimination against pregnant women.

Sexual harassment is ruled an illegal form of job discrimination in 1986.

NOW wins money damages and jury trials for sex discrimination in Civil Rights Act of 1991.

Family and Medical Leave passes in 1993.

The Violence Against Women Act is signed in 1994 and mass action by NOW ensures funding.

NOW organizes to bring 1.15 million marchers to DC in 2004 for women's health, reproductive rights.

Public support for same-sex marriage has grown due to education and activism by groups like NOW.

. . . But The Struggle Is NOT OVER YET.

Women are paid only three-quarters of men's pay, while women of color make even less.

Racism, sexism and homophobia are rampant, limiting the potential of more than half the country.

A woman has never been President of the U.S., nor been nominated by a major party.

Women make up less than one-fifth of the members of Congress and state governors.

Women hold the top positions at less than three percent of the Fortune 500 companies.

Women are vastly under-represented in science and technology professions, the military, judicial
seats and many prestigious fields.

Increased restrictions on reproductive rights leave women and girls with less control over their bodies, health and well-being.

Women and girls are more than 85 percent of all U.S. rape and domestic violence victims.

Congress and most states do not grant equal marriage rights to lesbian and gay couples.

More than 90 percent of those struggling with eating disorders are women or girls; women are 85 percent of cosmetic surgery patients.

Poor women, women of color and women with disabilities experience a disproportionate amount of discrimination, violence, interference in their private lives, and other barriers to equality.

Women's equality still is not guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution — but we don't intend to quit!

 
To join West Pinellas NOW, please telephone  (727)-738-0007  or  E-mail: bjstar@att.net 
 
 
Please join our Discussion at: http://groups.google.com/group/westpinellasnow
 
 
 

 

 

Remember, Silence is the Greatest Act of Sedition.

 

GET INVOLVED, STAY INFORMED, BE ACTIVE !

 

 
 

  http://www.wpinellasnow.org

 

http://sites.google.com/site/wpinellasnow/

 

 

 

 

 

Subpages (1): Ongoing Campaign