Many many groups have organized a lobbying trip to Harrisburg, to speak with PA legislators about what they have termed "A Women's Agenda." There are several main issues they are rallying people around, including the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies, or CARE Act. This act would require that hopsitals make available the FDA-approved emergency contraceptive to rape victims, to spare them the further trauma of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term. Many (mostly faith-based) hospitals currently don't provide EC, or even counsel victims about its availability!
Other issues include fairness in prescription drug coverage, opposing a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, ending pharmacist refusal to provide birth control, and preventing insurance discrimination against domestic violence.
Pennsylvania ranks 47th in the country in women's political participation. Help turn this around by learning more about how to join them below the fold!
I learned about this lobbying trip via
Penn for Choice, one of the co-sponsors. Penn for Choice is a dynamic student organization promoting awareness of reproductive issues and rights. Yesterday, they also hosted a really interesting lunch discussion with David Cohen of the
Women's Law Project, another co-sponsor of the event. Penn for Choice has arranged for any Penn student, staff, or affiliated person to take the bus to Harrisburg
for free, so if this applies to you and you're at all interested, contact them!
This effort was mainly organized by the groupWomenVote PA, which is associated with the Women's Law Project. They refer to this lobbying trip as a way from moving PA "from worst to first," a reference to the fact that Pennsylvania has some of the lowest rates of political participation by women. According to this pdf from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, PA ranked 42nd in women's voter registration, and 38th in women's voter turnout.
This pdf details the planned schedule. Busses will be leaving from Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, and delivering people to the North Office building where they will receive brief introductions to the issues mentioned above, by people from the Women's Law Project, the ACLU-PA, and others. Importantly, since not many people have actually gone to try and speak to their legislators in person, attendees will get to hear some lobbying tips.
This will probably be important, since PA lawmakers are especially conservative. For example, they will likely counsel voters to present the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies, or CARE Act, as a victim's rights issue. Conservative lawmakers would be much more likely to support the use of emergency contraception if it were presented as an issue of victim's rights, rather than reproductive choice.
For bus information from Philadelphia call 215-928-9801 x207; from Pittsburgh call 412-227-0301