Dear Friends,

There is no other way to say it – the outcome of yesterday’s elections is devastating for all of us, the adverse impact unfathomable. Whatever your focus is – reproductive rights, education, federal parklands or voter rights, we have all been left gasping for air.

But, there is no time to waste.

We must all focus on New York State – protect what is good and change what is not!

Right off the top, we need to:

1. Pass the Reproductive Health Act.
   People incorrectly think that there’s no problem for women in New York State. The reality is that 53% of NY counties have no abortion clinics and the number of abortion providers decreases every year. To get an abortion after 16 weeks, women must travel to New York City or Westchester, figure out how they’ll afford a three-day procedure, plus housing, food, etc. – not to mention missing work, school and leaving their families. After 24 weeks, it’s virtually impossible to terminate here. NY’s law was written before Roe v. Wade and does not provide the full constitutional protection guaranteed by Roe. If a woman’s health is at risk or something goes wrong in her pregnancy after 24 weeks, she must seek care outside of NY because State law doesn’t allow a doctor to provide abortion coverage.
2. We need to change our New York State voting laws to:
   1. Include early voting. People cannot stand in line for hours on Election Day. The elderly and those with disabilities are unable to stand; others can’t miss work or school or caring for their children, etc. This results in voter suppression.
   2. Add curtains to our voting booths. I receive calls from women saying they’re scared that people will see who they’re voting for. When we changed machines we didn’t have to give up privacy.We need to make voting easier, not harder
   3. These can be a non-partisan issues if we want them to be. Please read these New York Times editorials.
      http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/opinion/the-voters-abandoned-by-the-court.html
      http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/opinion/the-real-voter-fraud.html 
3. We can be sure that the new Trump Administration will do away with Obama Care, which means they’ll get rid of the requirement to cover preventive care such as mammograms and contraception without a co-pay, as well as provide coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. We must make sure New York State keeps these requirements!

Please contribute to WCLA – Choice Matters so that we can focus on New York State – protect what is good and change what is not! We are your local organization & we get things done!

The stakes are too high to sit on the sidelines so, as Hillary said, “Deal me in!”

This is what I told my children this morning: “This is not over. Just because someone wants to come for your rights doesn’t mean you give up your rights. You stand and you fight. That is something I have been a role model for all my life. And I tell my children, we stand and we fight. That may not be the kind of life for many people, but it is sometimes the only life. We all need to get up. We all need to question the validity of these results. And we need to fight. We are not giving up. We need to organize.”

Onward and Upward,
Catherine