"Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead.
Small victories, my friends, are still victories. Today, Republicans removed the language of forcible rape from the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act. MoveOn.org reported yesterday that over 360,000 people signed the petition against this bill and its denial of survivors of sexual assault.
Before the announcement this morning, The Daily Show tackled the redundancy of redefining rape on last night's show. The link I added above mentions, "pressure from women's groups, Democratic politicians and John [sic] Stewart," as motivation for changing the language of the bill.
That mainstream media, even in the form of Comedy Central, addressing this issue is a hopeful sign. But nothing is stronger than the voices of the citizens mobilizing to sign petitions, write letters, and contacting their representatives.
We can be happy and celebrate today's victory, but the fight isn't quite over. TPMDC reports that, "The new version of the bill apparently retains the clause that limits the incest exemption to girls under the age of 18 and language that makes it tougher for women to obtain abortion coverage through their private insurers."
As Melissa McEwan says on Shakesville, "Even stripped of its attack on survivors of rape, the legislation remains an attack on people who need to terminate a pregnancy, particularly people in marginalized and/or vulnerable populations. Young women, poor women, trans men, and others, who are disproportionately targeted by reproductive coercion and/or sexual violence, and thus are most likely to be in need of government assistance to terminate unwanted pregnancies, are now under attack from the Republican Party in yet another way."
As Melissa McEwan says on Shakesville, "Even stripped of its attack on survivors of rape, the legislation remains an attack on people who need to terminate a pregnancy, particularly people in marginalized and/or vulnerable populations. Young women, poor women, trans men, and others, who are disproportionately targeted by reproductive coercion and/or sexual violence, and thus are most likely to be in need of government assistance to terminate unwanted pregnancies, are now under attack from the Republican Party in yet another way."
To continue to take action in support of women's rights:
- Contact your representative.
- Twitter campaign is ongoing: #DearJohn or @johnboehner to voice your concern.
- NEW! Don't have Twitter? Go sign the #DearJohn Petition and still have your voice heard.
- NEW! Activism not your thing, but you still want to help? Consider making a donation to RAINN, MoveOn.org, or one of the websites I have listed in my original Battle On post so that those mobilizing can continue to do so.
As new information becomes available, I will include it in this space. The good news in all of this that this House bill has little chance of becoming law, especially now that this issue is getting so much press.
So my friends, have a drink, have a smile, and know that your voice was heard.
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