What You Can Do, Redux

I plan to repost the below every couple of weeks to remind New Yorkers to CONTACT your LEGISLATORS to show your support for RHPPA.

There is one easy way to demonstrate your support for the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHPPA) and that is by writing to your assembly member and state senator.

As mentioned below, the anti-choice movement has been bombarding our assembly members with false information and protestations, and our representatives have yet to hear a clear call that not just NOW-NYC, not just NARAL Pro-Choice, and not just Planned Parenthood, but a majority of New York men and women believe they have a vested interest in protecting their reproductive freedom and women’s health. I will get into the myths that the anti-choice movement have been (oh so deviously) spewing later, but for now, I encourage you to copy and paste the following and stick it into an email OR download the word attachment, print it out, lick a stamp, and send it out. Don’t think it won’t do anything — think about it: how else is an assembly member supposed to figure out what his/her constituents are thinking and what is likely to re-elect him/her? I haven’t seen any assembly people standing on my street corner lately, asking me what I want from them… So, if the mountain won’t come to you, well, get your ass to the damned mountain already.

To determine who your assembly member and senator are, go here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/ and here: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm.

And voilà, the letter: Letter to Assembly Member or Senator

You can also go to the NYCLU site to send a similar message.

 

Dear

I write as your constituent to urge you to sign-on as a cosponsor of the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act. The Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, permitting a ban on an abortion procedure without any exception to protect a woman’s health, is a strong blow to women’s reproductive rights. The Supreme Court’s recent actions have made it clear that Roe v. Wade is at risk, and that New York can no longer afford to rely on federal constitutional law to protect the fundamental right to make private reproductive healthcare decisions.

The Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act would help reverse the trend of increasing restrictions on women’s rights by codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade in New York State law. We must act now to strengthen the foundation for reproductive freedom in New York State law, update our archaic legal code, and ensure that women’s health is protected.

As a New Yorker, I am proud that our state has historically been a beacon and leader in women’s rights and would like to uphold this hard-earned reputation. As your constituent, I urge you to demonstrate your support for women’s health and reproductive choice by cosponsoring this critical legislation.

Sincerely,