Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-HI) will soon be the first U.S. Senator in history to give birth while in office. But under Senate rules, if Sen. Duckworth takes any maternity leave, she will be unable to perform the most essential aspects of her job—voting and sponsoring legislation. And if
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has announced that his House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into the Trump Administration’s employment of Rob Porter, seeking to discover when the FBI told the White House about the allegations of domestic violence against him. That’s not nearly good enough. We already
Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt: In public, Donald Trump has nothing but praise for Rob Porter, calling him “wonderful,” “strong” and “innocent.” This is Donald Trump’s pattern. From Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly to Roy Moore and Mike Tyson, Trump ignores the accuser and portrays the accused as the real victim. Donald Trump
Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt: Nevertheless, we are persisting: families must have guaranteed paid leave. This week we celebrate the success of the Family and Medical Leave Act that was signed into law by Bill Clinton as one of his first official acts after becoming president. NOW activists were thrilled to see this
Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly must resign. His pathetic defense of staff secretary Rob Porter reveals his true nature—an enabler of sexual abusers, a betrayer of trust and an avoider of responsibility. Why did John Kelly continue to support Rob Porter after he was told about
NOW Calls For Firing of Humane Society CEO Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt: In a shocking abdication of moral authority, The Humane Society has voted to keep CEO Wayne Pacelle in his job even after an internal investigation corroborated three complaints of sexual harassment against him. The group also offered settlements to three
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt: Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was notable for what he didn’t say. He didn’t address any of the issues that matter to women. In Donald Trump’s America, a president doesn’t need to care about women’s health, pay equity or gender equality. Donald Trump turned his speech
Last weekend’s Women’s March was a big event in Washington, DC. All the national media was there, and the program was broadcast live on C-Span. As you know, Toni Van Pelt was one of the featured speakers, and she spoke powerfully and from the heart. The reporter from Politico who was covering the March quoted
Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt: Forty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions. Today, Donald Trump and Mike Pence are determined to repeal Roe and turn back the clock on abortion,
HHS’s New Division of Conscience and Religious Freedom Targets Women: The Trump Administration has announced the creation of a new “conscience and religious freedom” division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will have the effect of fostering further discrimination against women, transgender individuals and others seeking full access to health care.
