Pro-choice hope in Virginia; America's outsized gun violence stats; and a step closer to equal pay: Your civic action to-do list for 2-3-20
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3. Hundreds of restrictive abortion laws have passed state legislatures, but the anti-choice tide is finally turning in Virginia.
In a nutshell: For the first time in decades, the pro-choice majority in state government is removing barriers to access – including a required ultrasound and a 24-hour waiting period before a woman is allowed to end a pregnancy.
Take Action: Virginia is able to reinstate reproductive health access only because people showed up to vote for their state officials in 2019. Before November, learn who is running for state and local office and where they stand on a woman's right to choose!
2. Last month, more than 3,500 people died and more than 2,400 were injured by guns. Of course, those numbers don't include the families and communities inexorably changed because a loved one was harmed or killed by gun violence.
In a nutshell: This week marks National Gun Violence Survivors Week, the approximate time that the number of U.S. gun deaths surpasses those of our peer countries in an entire calendar year. (For example, gun violence took 40,175 lives in the U.S. last year, as compared to 767 in Canada and 178 in Israel.)
Take Action: Read the stories of gun violence survivors - those who've been shot, lost loved ones, witnessed gun violence, or been threatened with guns. Then, honor and amplify their stories on social media with the hashtag #MomentsThatSurvive.
1. Decades after the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and 11 years after the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became law, women still earn less than men do for the same work!
In a nutshell: The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) will ensure that all women have the tools to challenge discrimination, and all employers have the incentives to comply with the law.
Take Action: The U.S. House passed the PFA last year; now we need the Senate to do the same. Urge your Senators to support equal pay for equal work!