Viva la Feminista

HB 1958 - The Anti-Shackling of Pregnant Prisoners bill's amendment number 2 will be voted upon and we need this amendment to pass in order for the bill to continue to move forward. Call state representatives and urge them to vote YES on HB 1958. http://www.ilga.gov/house/ Capitol switchboard 217-782-2000. In 2000, Illinois became the first state in the nation to ban shackling pregnant women during labor, in legislation that passed unanimously. Corrections officials are violating the ban. Women charged with nonviolent crimes have been placed in leg irons, with their hands cuffed to chain belts, when brought to the hospital. They have been shackled by one wrist and the opposite ankle to their hospital beds, impeding labor. HB 1958 clarifies and strengthens the law to protect the lives and health of mothers and infants. 81% of women in Illinois prisons are mothers. 6% to 10% of women prisoners are pregnant while incarcerated. About 67% of women prisoners in Illinois are...

Another temporary spending bill has passed in the US Congress. While Planned Parenthood escaped the chopping block, the women of DC were sacrificed by Congress. If you are pissed off, please donate to the DC Abortion Fund as they will be busy! The DC Abortion Fund has no paid staff. They are all volunteers, so please give what you can. If you can't give, send lots of stamina to the volunteer board members! Here in Illinois, we have our own issues to contend with. Here's the latest update from Planned Parenthood Illinois Action : The Illinois General Assembly’s deadline to pass bills out of their chamber of origin is Friday, April 15. Therefore, we anticipate a great deal of activity in the next few days. There is no time to wait! Calls need to go in to state legislators’ offices starting on Monday. HB 786 Ultrasound Mandate HB 786 would require that, prior to an abortion, providers must offer an ultrasound, ask the woman if she wants to view it, have the woman si...

April 12th is Equal Pay Day, the day that marks how far into the new year a woman must work on average to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. To show support for equal pay, hundreds will gather in Daley Plaza at noon for an Equal Pay Day Rally, sponsored by Women Employed and fourteen other organizations and government agencies. Despite many improvements in women's economic status over the past three decades, employment discrimination and unfairness in the workplace are still a fact of life for too many women. Regardless of education and experience, in nearly every occupation women are still paid less than men – only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. On average, a woman could lose up to $1.2 million in income over a lifetime due to the wage gap. The Equal Pay Day Rally will bring together activists and concerned citizens to protest this inequality. Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon will speak, as well as prominent equal pay advocates Evelyn Murphy of The WAGE...

(1) The hilarious, whip smart and BFF of Viva la Feminista, Jennifer Pozner will be at Women and Children First on Sunday at 4:30 pm. Come hear Jennifer talk about her book Reality Bites Back . Considering that $nooki gets paid $32,000 to give a talk, come hear Jennifer for bus fare! (2) She'll also be at NEIU on Monday at 4:15 pm. (3) Thursday, April 7th the Working Women's History Project will will pay homage to the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire with an in-depth panel discussion and an original production. 6-8:30 pm "The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire at 100 and the Fight for Worker Safety and Justice Now" 6:00 - 7:00 Registration and Light Refreshments 7:00 - Program Roosevelt University, 430 S Michigan, Congress Lounge 2nd Floor Tickets held at door advance $25, at door $30, students free with ID The play: "The Ninth Floor Door: Blocked Justice of the Triangle Fire" by Mary Bonnett. Performed by Mary Bonnett, Bri...