Dear Members and Friends,

October is Domestic Violence Month, Hate Crimes Awareness Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and we need MORE petitions signed.

My urgent request to you is get petitions signed. Volunteer to get out there at events, concerts, sports events, and locations like the library. Enlist a partner and go out. Have you gotten signatures from all your friends, family, and neighbors? Do please. We made the number of petitions required to have a review of the language of our abortion ballot petition. The Court has until April to approve our wording. We have almost 700,000 signatures, but need 500,000 more to be sure we meet the target of approved petitions by the SOEs. Although FPF has raised $9M, they need a lot more to pay workers to get petitions. Apparently, paid petitioners are the only way that something can get on the ballot due to how many signatures are required to get on the ballot. One note, we are working with Jewish congregations to get petitions signed. If you don’t have a contact, please let me know and I’ll get you one for your county.

It is likely that the FL State Supreme Court will rule that abortion is not covered by the privacy clause in the FL State Constitution. Decisions are usually handed down on a Thursday. Be ready for short notice to get out to protest on the Decision Day, the Saturday after the decision. Locate a place and have a plan ready. Whatever the ruling, getting abortion on the 2024 ballot is imperative.

There was a NOW National Board meeting at the end of September. They passed almost all the Conference resolutions. The National NOW Travel Advisory, not to visit, not to move, and not to go to school in FL was approved.

I know Chapters are having problems with National’s handling of membership management. It is not acceptable. At the Board meeting, we heard a strong commitment to working through the fixes. We’ll see if they make better progress. All non-profits are having a hard time recovering from the pandemic. Also, there are a lot of new women’s groups in our space. However, FLNOW is the activist organization for women’s civil rights. We are not a service organization. We are activists who raise our voices in resistance.

We are excited because in January, we will have a racial equity assessment, training, and coaching. We will let Chapter Presidents know when so that they can participate. This is important to our future in terms of creating an environment that supports people of color.

We are working on the 2024 Strategic Plan. You will receive a survey to collect your demographics and to capture your key issues and priorities. Please complete and return it. We need your input to develop a strong Strategic Plan.

For press releases, newsletters, and social media try Artificial Intelligence through Bing, ChatGPT. No technical wizardry involved. You just type in your question, and you get a response. Be as specific as possible in asking your question. By the way, the Haiku on our Website was created by AI. AI saves time and you get immediate statistics. Be an expert with Google Forms and Google Drive. If you want a brief tutorial, let me know.

I recommend a book that I think should be required reading for every American, especially white Americans, i.e., “White Rage” by Carol Anderson. It traces the history of injustices from the end of slavery to today. It is mind blowing, changing your lens. Please make time to read it.

Take Care,

Debbie

Women in Florida are struggling to survive due to the inability to meet basic needs.   Lack of affordable housing, no Medicaid expansion, reproductive health care on the line, waiting lists for childcare, low pay, domestic violence.  These issues comprise only a short list of the issues that contribute to high rates of poverty for women.

The EJTF will meet virtually on the third Thursday of each month beginning Thursday, October 19th@6:30pm.  For more information, contact Laurie Scop

• Get  Abortion in the FL Constitution - Keep getting those petitions signed
• Join the Economic Justice Task Force 10/19/23
• Mentor Your Local College Feminists / Help them start a Campus NOW Chapter
• Help with Voter Registration wherever and whenever you can

Constitutional Equality (ERA): Nancy Terreri - This Task Force is part of the National ERA Coalition and Fund for Women's Equality. The ERA wraps around every issue which impacts women with 280 members who will present resolutions in both chambers of the 118th US Congress. Help Nancy get the ERA into the US Constitution.

• 2023 Feminist Calendar
• FLNOW Book Club Picks Through January 2024
• Remembering Diane Feinstein
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• Decision Day
• Chapter Events

The impacts of extreme weather events vary geographically but not equally. Everywhere, they are harsher on women as caregivers of family, children, parents and the poor.  Meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of the month @ 6:30pm.  The next meeting is on November 7th. Join this focus group to find out about your county's resilience plan and what members do to move to zero waste, a very small carbon footprint, and to help limit the negative impacts on our environment.  For more information, contact Renai Collins..

There is so little awareness that we need to get out there. Although long, here is a good summary of domestic violence in the US. Please get out the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1 800 799-SAFE (7233). Domestic violence is part of our End Violence Against Women.

• According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US, which equates to more than 10 million women and men in a year ¹. The NCADV also reports that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc¹.
• The NCADV also reports that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing) and in some cases might not be considered “domestic violence” ¹.
• On average, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide every day ¹. The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500% ¹. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime ¹. Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner ¹.
• It is important to note that domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse. It can also include emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please seek help immediately. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit their website at https://www.thehotline.org/ for more information on how to get help ².

Freedom from Violence: Kat Duesterhaus & Beck Andre - Members of this Task Force engage local Sexual Response Teams to promote the Start By Believing. We need members from each Chapter to work their county's Sexual Assault Response Teams to first listen, not question. Excellent presentation and coaching availiable to support review with Sexual Assault Response Teams and even the police. Join us in making FL safer for all people by advocating for survivors.

SB 156 / HB 137 Sen. Lauren Book / Rep. Rita Harris 

If passed, SB 156/HB 137 would prohibit the use of “gay and transgender panic” defenses in court. According to the American Bar Institution, these defenses seek to partially or completely excuse crimes such as murder and assault on the grounds that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant's violent reaction. Though no state explicitly allows these panic defenses, defendants across the country have used these defenses during trials.

SB 34 / HB 111 Sen. Lauren Book / Rep. Anna Eskamani 

This bill would decriminalize self managed abortion.  It clarifies that certain penalties relating to unlawful termination of pregnancy do not apply to the pregnant woman who terminates the pregnancy.

HB 93 Rep. Basabe (no corresponding Senate bill)

Proposes 12 week ban, no US mailing of abortion medication, no Telehealth for medical abortions, and abortions can only be performed in medical facilities.

Reproductive Rights: Amy Weintraub Monthly zooms are held and we need NOW members to attend, especially since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. When organizations work in coalitions rather than in local advocacy, more effective actions can reverse this situation. 

Florida NOW fully supports access to safe and legal abortion, to effective birth control and emergency contraception, to reproductive health services and education for all women.

LGBTQIA+ Rights: Beck Andre - Does excellent work in coalition with other organizations, especially Compass Center, which is in Palm Beach County and has far reaching connections. Please join us in "Saying Gay"!

Florida NOW is committed to fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas, including empolyment, housing, health services and child custody.

Dianne Feinstein was the first woman Mayor of San Francisco,  first woman US Senator from California, first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to preside over a U.S. presidential inauguration.

She was known for her advocacy for gun control, abortion access, environmental protection, and a strong national defense.

Families Against Court Travesties (FACTS): Natalie Andre & Sheila Jaffe - Serving women and some men for over 20 years who face horrible treatment in court. FACTS created Court Watch, which adds a vital public dimension to proceedings so that the demeanor and behavior of presiding judges and attorneys, which are frequently biased against the mother, can be raised to the level of fair hearings.

The Honorable Rene Flowers has agreed to be the FL NOW spokesperson for all things racial justice related.  She will be issuing press releases to address the injustices going right now.  The first one will come in October.

Florida NOW continues to fight for equal opportunities for women of color in all areas including employment, education & health care.

October 12 Petition Tabling at the Truman Waterfront Market 2-7:00 PM volunteers needed
October 15 KWNOW Hosting FUNdraiser for the Petition Initiative along with Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, Mayor Teri Johnston, Hon. Heather Carruthers, Natalia Duke and other local activists, Rooftop of the Studios of Key West 6-8:30 PM. Music, comedy, raffle, drag performance! Speakers to include:
Anna Hochkammer, FWFCO regarding the petition initiative
Dr. Kris Kennedy, OB-GYN

https://facebook.com/events/s/key-west-fundraiser-for-florid/619671333671737/
To register: allie@Floridawomensfreedomcoalition.com
To donate: http://Bit.ly/FWFC-KeyWest

Abortion Petition Signing at Events:

10/13 & 10/16 Jonas Brothers Concert

10/14 Women's Soccer Game

10/21 Come Out with Pride Tabling

10/28 Veg Fest Tabling

Meetings: 

09/28 SWAN Speaker - clinic escorts in Orlando

10/24 Orange County School Board Meeting

Saturday, October 14th 1:30 - 4:30 PM

First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches, North Palm Beach FL 33408.  Admission by donation.

Sunday, October 15, 1:30 - 4:30pm

Delray Library, Delray Beach FL 33444

Admission by donation.

All proceeds go to Emergency Medical Assistance, our local abortion access fund, emawpb.org

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