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Action Alerts

The League Celebrates the 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

On January 22nd, local League members joined other women's organizations on Broad Street to raise awareness about the importance of abortion coverage in health care reform on the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which gave women the right to obtain an abortion. During the event, women's health advocates expressed the need for the full range of reproductive health services to be included in health care reform. Attendees also gathered petition signatures from passersby. Signs with messages such as "We Won't Go Back" and "Healthcare Includes Abortion" generated an overwhelming number of honks in support and many thumbs up. The event was organized by Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania with support from the Raising Women's Voices Coalition of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Health Care Reform Alert

LWV Phila members & Friends,

I am sure you are all aware of the home turf battles on health care reform that are shaping up around the country as members of the U.S. House and Senate meet with constituents at town hall meetings during the Congressional August recess.

At this critical time for health care reform I want to share with you some things that are happening in the League and the national level and in Pennsylvania and what you can do to make your voice heard and raise the visibility of the League locally on this issue.

To find out what LWVUS is doing visit the Health Care Reform webpage: It has links to background papers and voter ready articles Leagues can use to educate members and communities about health care issues. Great for a League sponsored community meeting on the issue.

The LWVUS Washington Lobby Corps has been busy meeting with US House members in support of comprehensive health care reform. In July LWVUS President Mary Wilson sent a letter to Congress in support of HR3200, the Affordable Health Choices Act. Click here to read Mary’s letter.

You can add your voice to those who support comprehensive reform by visiting the LWVUS Health Care Action Alert website and sending a letter to your member of Congress and our U.S. Senators. Click here to send a letter to your federal elected officials. You can also forward this information to your friends. Even if your congressman supports reform, he or she needs our letters of support for their position.

You can attend and get others to attend congressional town hall meetings in your community and/or organize a meeting with your U.S. Representative.

You can visit the website of the PA Health Access Network: http://pahealthaccess.org/ for up to date information on what is happening in Pennsylvania. By going to the “contact us” link in the drop down menu under “About PCAN” you can get information on how to link up with other health care reform advocates in your community.

You can become a community organizer. Learn about what is happening in Bucks County, where League member Tam St.Claire is taking a leadership role in organizing grassroots activities in support of health care reform. A white ribbon campaign is planned which they will officially launch on Labor Day. White ribbons can be tied on porches, trees, mailboxes care side mirrors, purses and worn on clothing. People can give ribbons to public officials and take video to post on UTube or photos to post on Facebook. For information on their plans contact Tam at twstclaire@verizon.net or visit Bucks Voices for Health Care Reform http://www.buckshealthcare.org/. See (4) on how to link up with other advocates in your area.

Get the facts. For unbiased information on claims and counterclaims regarding health care reform proposals visit www.factcheck.org, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s nationally acclaimed website for checking the veracity of statements and rumors about public policy issues.

Thank you.

Kelly

Immigration Study

Immigration Study Resources

The League of Women Voters US has put together an comprehensive group of resources on immigration. Instead of compiling our own, please visit LWVUS Immigration Resources.

Immigration Study Meeting

Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 10:30am

Join the 2007 League of Women Voters of Philadelphia Immigration Study

It isn't often that the National League embarks on a study to create a new national position on an important issue. When such a study is undertaken, as a big city League, it is important that we be included, and fortunately, the National League has invited local Leagues to participate in a national study of immigration policies. Since immigration is such a hot topic in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia League encourages our members to participate in this examination of United States’ immigration policies.

The decision to study the issue of immigration was made by the National League at the 2006 LWVUS Convention. If at least sixty local Leagues take part in this study and answer the consensus questions formulated by LWVUS, the organization can then present a national position on immigration. All Leagues are asked to finish their studies by the beginning of 2008.

Briefing papers on immigration have been prepared for local Leagues and can be found in the National Voter’s June and October Issues. The first two papers are in the June 2007 issue of the National Voter, and the third and fourth papers are in the October 2007 National Voter. You can also read these briefing papers on the website of the League of Women Voters of the United States at www.lwv.org . The National Voter archives are found in the “Library” Section.

The next step for us, locally, is to have a meeting with experts on immigration in the Philadelphia region on, Saturday, October 27th, at 10:00AM at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The meeting will be held at Silverman Hall, which is at 34th and Sansom. (Enter on Sansom Street, directly across from LaTerrasse restaurant.) Following this presentation, everyone is invited to join fellow League members for lunch (self-pay) at the White Dog Café. The Café is just across the street from Silverman Hall.

After the October presentation there will be a follow-up meeting. At that time, we will discuss and then answer the consensus questions formulated by the national League. Consensus involves coming to nearly complete agreement on answers to the questions the national League has posed. We will discuss these questions until we are satisfied that we have come to an agreement or otherwise decide that we cannot come to a consensus on a particular question. Agreement in this case has to be more than just a bare majority vote to be considered consensus. We will then submit our responses to the questions to national League, where a position will be formulated, after considering all responses of the participating local Leagues.

This kind of consideration of issues is key to all the final policy positions taken, whether it be at the local, state, or national level. Immigration policy is basically a federal responsibility, which is why the study is being done by the national League. This is an invaluable opportunity to participate in the national dialogue about a very current topic. Do become a part of this interesting process. We need your participation.

Please let us know if you will join in the study by e-mailing or calling Kay McKenna at kayomck@aol.com or 215-474-7660. The deadline to register for the October 27 th meeting and optional lunch is Wednesday, October 24 th. In order to be admitted on the 27 th, we must have the names for all attendees by the 24 th. We look forward to being part of this valuable study.