SUNY New Paltz Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Conference:
Reproductive Justice – – 40 Years After Roe v. Wade
April 27, 2013, 9am to 6pm
Lecture Center, SUNY New Paltz

KEYNOTE PANEL: Loretta Ross, Katherine Cross, Angela Hooton

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. With this landmark 1973 decision, the Supreme Court –– responding to feminist activism and other pressures – legalized abortion in the United States.

During the past four decades we have seen women’s access to reproductive health care restricted in a variety of ways as a result of an anti-abortion movement that has fueled violence against abortion providers and a surge of legislative activism in the states leading to the imposition of hundreds of restrictions such as waiting periods, compulsory sonograms and parental consent laws. We have also seen many forms of feminist activism supporting reproductive rights and the emergence of a vibrant, expansive way of approaching women’s sexual and reproductive experiences – Reproductive Justice. Led by women of color organizations, the reproductive justice movement recognizes women’s right to reproduce as a foundational human right. Reproductive justice means that a woman’s right to control her reproductive health should not be restricted because of race, religion, sexuality, disability, gender identity or expression, economic, immigrant or citizenship status, or status as an incarcerated woman. Continue reading →

Citizen Action is seeking allies in Congressional District 19 to pressure Congressman Chris Gibson for a strong Immigration Reform bill from the House of Representatives. We are holding a local May Day Immigration Reform Petition Drive and Call-In Day.

On Wednesday, May 1st we will use our new Kingston office as a staging location, 516 Broadway, where we will train folks in an Immigration Reform message and send them into the community in pairs to get petition signers and calls on-the-spot to Congressman Gibson. We will have three 90-minute shifts: Noon, 5:30PM and 7:00PM.

Please contact Kat Fisher At 845-637-0174, if your group would like to co-sponsor this as part of the Alliance for Citizenship’s national Day of Action. This would mean promoting it within your communities in the coming weeks. Sending factsheets, petitions and a call in number to your communities ahead of time would also be a way your community could participate prior to May 1st.

If you would like more information about this legislation or the May Day event, please attend our Thursday, April 25th Immigration Reform Update meeting at the same location at 6:30PM.