Wednesday, April 29 – Moral Monday Reunites!

The first Moral Monday was 2 years ago, on April 29, 2013, and NC NOW was there. Thanks to Robin Davis for understanding immediately the need for this movement and peaceful outlet, and sharing with other NOW members.  This “Moral Monday Reunites” event has been organized to celebrate this 2 year anniversary on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.

We’ll also celebrate how far the movement has come (even spreading to other states), and to make new points.

Moral Monday begins at Bicentennial Mall at 5pm.  Bicentennial Mall is directly across Jones Street from the Legislative Building entrance.

The press conference begins at 3pm at the Davie St. Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Davie St.

The early press conference is nice if you want a preview of the speakers, or a cooler, dryer, and more personal presentation!

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2015 Spring NC NOW Newsletter

See NC NOW’s latest newsletter. Do you know

• HB465 includes new OUTRAGEOUS requirements for the physician who ’causes miscarriage or abortion’ after 18 weeks to SEND THE WOMAN’S ULTRASOUNDS, MEASUREMENTS, ETC TO DHHS!!!!!
• What TPP is? What Fast Track is?
• How safe abortions really are?
• How unsafe college campuses really are?

Find out about these and more at https://northcarolinanow.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/ncnraleigh-now-newsletter-spring-2015-v6.pdf

Also, read more about how rudely the NC House sped HB465 through, and how some good legislators tried to make it more reasonable (and/or school the House on why this law will be overturned if it gets that far) at https://northcarolinanow.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/interfering-condescending-and-invasive-bill-hb465/

Interfering, Condescending and Invasive Bill – HB465

The NC House approved a SEVENTY-TWO HOUR waiting period, up from 24 hours, which was added in 2011 under the so called “Women’s Right To Know” act.  This bill does other heinous things.  The bill requires that doctors performing abortions on fetuses more than 18 weeks must send the woman’s ultrasound, measurements, etc to DHHS for examination!!!  What other medical procedure has anywhere near this level of interference in private medical business!?! This bill continues to show the current majority of NC lawmakers imposing their will and power over women’s lives.  But it should not stand – it is based on heresay, not science or studies or facts, and it is placing un-due burden on women.

Many Republican lawmakers stepped out during the debate, and had to be corralled for the vote. They didn’t have the courtesy to listen to the debate.

The WRAL article, ” NC House approves three-day abortion waiting period”
at http://www.wral.com/nc-house-approves-three-day-abortion-waiting-period/14601698/#iDjXZ2b8FV1icGIf.99 also says how hard some lawmakers (all Democrats) tried to rein this craziness in, and also about their very loud ‘NOs’ on the third and final vote (and maybe every vote).

The bill was heard in the Health Committee on 4/22/15, and was heard by the full House already on 4/23/15.  In the full House, only one opponent of the bill was allowed to speak.  House Committee chair Rep. Brian Brown completely ignored doctors and other experts who had prepared speeches.  Instead, he repeatedly called for anti-abortion testimony.

Second Silent Sentinels Vigil at NCGA in the news!

Our second silent sentinels vigil at the NCGA made the news already!  This second vigil was done in conjunction with Women’s Advocacy Day! Thx, Gary Robertson of the AP, whose article was carried in the Asheville Citizen Times and on WCNC.  Thx,  Paul Woolverton of the Fayetteville Observer, for coming in to interview some of us!

We held our second Silent Sentinels vigil after Women’s Advocacy Day (WAD), April 21, 2015, at 2pm.  “Fearless” Carla Cunningham, primary sponsor of this bill, emceed part of the WAD press conference.  She introduced Robbie Madden, from Ratify ERA NC, to talk about the need for an Equal Rights Amendment.

We held this second Silent Sentinels vigil to encourage Judiciary I to move the House ERA bill (H166) along. This time our vigil was in the Legislative Building, in front of office 1013, in front of the Vice Chair of Judiciary I’s office.  Last time it was in front of the Chair of Judiciary I’s office.

AP article in Asheville – http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2015/04/20/push-gender-equity-amendment-returns-nc/26061229/

Fayetteville NOW article – http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/news/peoples_business/fayetteville-women-push-at-legislature-for-equal-rights-amendment/article_65c3c688-e87c-11e4-99b9-4b948b7ad9ea.html

The deep purple t-shirts say “Forward NOW” on the front.  “Not Back” on the back.  The lavender ones say “Fayetteville NOW.”  More on this at
https://northcarolinanow.wordpress.com/…/silent-sentinel-v…/

Take action on HB847 – puts minors at risk with medical treatments

LEGISLATIVE ALERT on HB847 – puts minors at risk

House Bill 847, Amend Laws Re: Medical Treatment of Minors, is a very bad bill. The hard right has repeatedly attacked existing law that guarantees confidential medical treatment for minors for venereal disease, pregnancy, substance abuse, and mental illness. The medical community supports the current law (maintaining minor consent) because there is good reason to believe that in many cases minors would not seek medical help if they knew that their parents would be informed. It is unfortunate when minors feel they cannot confide in their parents, but all caring parents would prefer for their children to obtain the medical help they need instead of having their conditions go untreated. House Bill 847 would require parental consent for minors to be treated for these conditions. The second provision of House Bill 847 would protect parents from charges of neglect or abuse of minor children if they are following medical advice even if the advice they are following is discredited or rejected by the medical community as a whole.

It appears that, among other things, this bill would provide cover for parents who subject their minor children to medically discredited therapies to “cure” them of homosexuality and would leave no recourse for concerned family members, health care professionals, or other adults.

ERA Silent Sentinels Vigil in the news!! Join our next one after WAD!

Our ERA Silent Sentinels Vigil is in the news! We’re having another vigil on 4/21/15 at 2pm, after Women’s Advocacy Day (WAD). More on both here!

Women’s Advocacy Day times, events, and places

• 9:30am – 11am:  Training and inspiration with keynote Dream Hampton, at the First Baptist Church, 101 South Wilmington St, Raleigh. (Just a short walk from the legislature, parking structure next door)
  Link to registration and more information at http://www.ncwu.org/our-programs/womens-advocacy-day/
• 11am – 2pm:  Press Conference (11:30am) and meet your legislators.  Start in the NC Legislative Building at 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh.
• 2pm-3pm:  Silent Sentinels vigil to encourage Judiciary I to move the House ERA bill (H166) along. In the Legislative Building, in front of office 1013. Wear your NC NOW (or other purple) shirt.  https://northcarolinanow.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/silent-sentinel-vigil-for-era-on-42115-at-2pm/
  

AP reporter Gary Robertson covered our first vigil.  His ERA article, “Push for gender-equity amendment returns to North Carolina” has been  published so far (found so far) in the Winston-Salem Journal and the Charlotte Observer!!

The links to the Silent Sentinels articles are at

• Charlotte Observer – http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article18933783.html 
• Winston Salem Journal – http://www.journalnow.com/news/state_region/push-for-gender-equity-amendment-returns-to-north-carolina/article_883ae356-e6ea-11e4-8aa4-ef965c3bfcd8.html

Of course, these articles can also be found (with our commentary) on NC NOW’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/NC-NOW-National-Organization-for-Women/180024368705304

The Indy article should come out on Wednesday (Jane Porter was the reporter).

There is still time to sign a petition to move HB166 along.  We need about 250 more signatures to take it to the next level and get more exposure.  Find it at https://www.change.org/p/pass-the-equal-rights-amendment-to-the-u-s-constitution-vote-favorably-on-h166

Silent Sentinel Vigil for ERA on 4/21/15 at 2pm

Equal Rights for Women
NC4ERA and NC NOW recently held a “Silent Sentinel” Vigil for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The vigil was quite successful in raising awareness. We are expecting coverage of those efforts in upcoming articles by the AP and the Indy Week.

Photo Credit: Roberta Waddle

We will stand sentinel again this Tuesday, April 21 at 2:00 pm, immediately following Women’s Advocacy Day activities at the NC Legislature, 16 W. Jones St. in Raleigh, NC. The hour long vigil will take place outside Office Rm. 1013 in the Legislative Bldg. This is the office of Rep. Darren Jackson, Vice Chair of Judiciary 1 Committee. The ERA Bill, H166, is sitting in Judiciary 1 Committee. We are advocating that the bill be passed out of committee favorably.

Please let us know as soon as you can if you plan on participating.We are expecting media coverage again at this event.

Feminist Films for April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month there are 2 excellent new documentaries playing around NC to educate and inspire women – The Hunting Ground and The Vessel.

“The Hunting Ground” exposes the epidemic of sexual assaults and rapes on campuses across the US.  It’s playing in Fayetteville on April 28 and April 30. In order to end campus assault, more people need to know about it, and demonstrate the growing public concern.  So we can demand that these institutions meant to serve our people make themselves safer for our young women and girls. “To seem safe rather than to be safe” is an unacceptable motto for any institution!  More below.

Give a holler to Nelson Dollar to fight HB465!

Take action against a really over-the-top anti-abortion bill, House Bill 465, titled “Clarify & Modify Certain Abortion Laws”.

As per NC NOW’s legislative update, “The war against women escalated with the introduction of House Bill 465. This bill goes beyond any other bill ever introduced in North Carolina.”

Call Rep. Nelson Dollar, at 919-715-0795, and tell him how outraged you are on these new attacks on women and on doctors and medical students.  You can call and leave a simple message like, “Please tell Rep. Dollar how outraged I am at HB465.  He has the ability to stop it.  He needs to stop it.”

If you want to go beyond the simple messages, here are some points you can use about HB465.  (Note: Since this article was written, the bill writers backed off their attacks on UNC and ECU.)

Advocacy for the ERA

NC4ERA and NC NOW would like to share opportunities to advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in NC. The first is an NC4ERA petition with Change.org. Please link and sign. http://ow.ly/Loh1S  You can also sign the form ‘in person.’

On Thursday, April 14th, Marena Groll from NC4ERA and Gailya Paliga from NC National Organization for Women spoke at the 2015 People’s Legislative Advocacy Day about the need for ERA and the 2 bills that were introduced in the NC Senate (S184) and NC House (H166) already this year.

We also did a “Silent Sentinel” Vigil for the ERA. It began at 2:00 pm in the Legislative Building in Raleigh, 16 Jones St.  So many people who came by did not know about ERA – I mean women didn’t know!

Read more at NC4ERA about North Carolina’s own Silent Sentinel daughter, Virginia Arnold, a determined Suffragist. May we follow in her footsteps.