Actually, California NOW has already been hard at work. We spent 2011 collaborating with our allies from the Reproductive Justice (RJ) community who understand that simply legalizing birth control and abortion services does not ensure that EVERY woman - regardless of race or class - has access to the reproductive health services that she would like to use.
The truth is, there's no reproductive justice in legalizing birth control but then making women in rural communities drive an hour to get it because the one local pharmacist in their town can refuse to provide it. There's no reproductive justice in allowing the only hospital available to a large community to offer substandard care to women by invoking religious principles. There's no reproductive justice in our state government allowing known toxins to be sprayed in our strawberry fields that, when inhaled by female farm workers, cause late-term miscarriages. And there's no reproductive justice if a tank of gas prevents a woman from ending her pregnancy.
In addition to our work with the RJ community, we put our efforts into ensuring Janice Hahn beat the right-wing Tea Party candidate who used both sexism and racism in his failed campaign. With Janice now representing us in Washington, we have a strong woman in that seat who will ALWAYS stand up for us.
With 14 California members of Congress and over 40 California state legislators who consistently vote against women's reproductive healthcare services, we'll be playing an active role in the upcoming election to ensure that more women and pro-women candidates are elected in 2012 and that voters clearly understand the impact that the ballot initiatives will have on women and their families in this state.
We also spent 2011 focused in Sacramento on state legislation and are proud that the gap for 3 million Californians whose health coverage did not include maternity care has now been closed. We successfully worked on anti-bullying legislation, anti-discrimination laws against domestic partnerships, gender-equity for public contracts, more inclusive school curriculum, stricter penalties for human trafficking of minors, access to STD prevention services by minors, greater access to physical examinations for sexual assault victims and tougher cyber-bullying laws.
We're committed in 2012 to ensuring that the Insurance Commissioner has the right to block unfair health insurance rate hikes and will continue pushing for reducing exposure to pesticides for farm workers as well as the need to reverse the barbaric practice of shackling incarcerated pregnant women in our state.
And something you'll be hearing more about in the next month is our collaborative work regarding Gender Responsive Budgeting at the state and local level that is essential if we want to once and for all ensure that equity and women's empowerment are central when deciding budget revenue and expenditures.
So as we reflect on our many successes in 2011, be assured that California NOW is already working on an even more ambitious plan this year as we create a path towards a more level playing field for the women and girls in this state.
As we begin this aggressive path for 2012, we hope you'll continue to support our efforts since we do not receive national money. We are funded solely by YOU and your generous donations.
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