The GWC Reproductive Justice Team is launching a project to promote voter registration under the theme Reproductive Justice for ALL.

As you certainly know, the rights of all women to choose when and if to start a family are being taken away with over 26 States prohibiting or restricting the right to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy even in the cases of rape, incest and the mother’s and/or the  fetus’ health. Texas has empowered vigilantes to sue everyone and anyone aiding and abetting abortion once the fetal heartbeat can be heard (eg at approximately 6 weeks and before most women know they are pregnant).

We cannot allow this to continue particularly with Roe v Wade in peril and the Women’s Health Protection Act stuck in the Senate.

Our project is a video launch via YouTube. We are asking all DA members to make a short (60 sec) video explaining why the right to abortion is absolutely necessary. If you come from a State where it is practically impossible to obtain an abortion, you can speak about the discrimination against minority and poor women whose lives are in jeopardy and who cannot travel. If you come from “good States” such as MA, CA, NY for example, you can speak to the injustice of access depending upon where you live. Make sure you mention in the video VotefromAbroad.org for expat voter registration and vote.gov for non expat voter registration.

We believe that many of our voters will be motivated to register when we roll out the videos.

Here are a few subjects that you could choose for your video:

• If you live/vote in a country that has “good” reproductive freedom laws, you could refer to the country and the liberal law(s) and how lucky you are to be in that country and how unfair it is for American women LIVING IN THE US who can’t benefit from such laws

• If you live/vote in a US State that has good reproductive freedom laws, see above. And you can say that living in a “bad” State is  discriminatory since women in “good “US States have rights that you are denied.

• You can share a personal experience. You don’t have to use your name or even mention where you live. The videos will be anonymous unless you do give details.

• You can make a statement about women should have the right to control their bodies. Period. There is no justification for the government to decide when, how  or even if women should have children.

If you can’t think of anything to say but still want to make a video, feel free to contact Salli at [email protected]. She will set up a call and walk you through some ideas and we can help you make the video.

Here is a link on how to make a video:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O7wGPrZmmXocOuMI5zZutc1w62nHlQWZOat8Srq_bFQ/edit?usp=sharing

For more information, visit our blog space here:

https://www.democratsabroad.org/wc_reproductive_justice_action_team

All videos should be sent to Salli Swartz at [email protected]

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN

Disclaimer: By submitting your video, you grant to Democrats Abroad a nonexclusive rights to use your video and your image only for the 2022 GWC Reproductive Justice Get Out the Vote video project. 

You therefore hereby waive all rights to any claims arising out of or in connection with Democrats Abroad GWC’s use of your video  and image in connection with the 2022 Reproductive Justice video project.

Working Together in New Ways to End Violence against Women

Democrats Abroad Salutes International Women’s Day 2023
with Anne DePrince, Noted Author and Expert on Violence Against Women

On March 5, at 9 am Eastern Time, U.S. citizens from around the globe will be joined via Zoom by Anne DePrince, the author of Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence Against Women.  The event precedes and celebrates International Women’s Day on the 8th.

This event will include remarks from the author who will also take questions from participants.  In her book, DePrince provides perspective on the overwhelming scope of violence, its frequency, its pervasiveness and its many devastating forms.  She also examines the impact it has on every aspect of society and the ways societal attitudes and conditions can exacerbate the crimes and the damage that results. In her comments to Democrats Abroad, DePrince will focus, in particular, on the needs for action and the ways each of us can contribute to making change.

From Awareness to Action follows a continuing series of conversations on related subjects sponsored by the Democrats Abroad Violence Against Women Action Team as part of an on-going research, education and action project.. These have ranged from Gender-based violence and the military justice system (with Nancy Parrish & Col. Don Christensen from Protect Our Defenders) , the correlations between the status and safety of women and the security of countries and the world  (with Dr. Valerie Hudson, author of The First Political Order)  and the challenges in finding support for U.S. victims of violence when they are abroad (with Paula Lucas from Pathways to Safety International).  

To join us and get the zoom link for this event click the RSVP button below.

For further information, to learn about volunteering  for the VAW team or to suggest a question in advance of the event, please contact [email protected]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

ANNE DE PRINCE

Anne DePrince is a clinical psychologist, distinguished university professor at the University of Denver (DU), and expert in intimate violence who believes change is possible. Author of Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence against Women (Oxford University Press, 2022), Anne has worked closely with victim service providers and policy makers over more than two decades to study the impact of multiple forms of violence against women on a range of outcomes -- from health and economic wellbeing to education and safety. The U.S. Department of Justice recognized her contributions to the nation’s understanding of crime victims with the Vision 21 Crime Victims Research Award.  She also serves as DU’s first Associate Vice Provost for Public Good Strategy and Research.

https://annedeprince.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Every-90-Seconds-Violence-Against/dp/0197545742