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MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW•NYS COUNCIL ~tEETING NEWS November 25 -- The regular monthly meeting of the Mohawk The November NOW•NYS Council Valley NOW will be held at 7a30, meeting was held November 8·9 PM, in the Meetinghouse, located in Albany. Helen Szabla and on State St.in Utica, behind the Debbie Edgar represented our Munson•Williams•Proctor Institute. chapter. Susan Russell is now the NOW•NYS REMEMBER Legislative Lobbyist, and Carol *** *** Ryker is the new head of the * According to TIME magazine over Reproductive Rights Task Force. 34% of Reagan's supporters thought he supported Equal Rights for The Northeast Regional Conference Women. wlll be held in Albany April 11-12. * According to an Associated Press­ The 1981 NOW•NYS Conference will NBC News Exit Poll, taken on Nov. be held in Rockland County (north 4, the ERA is favored 2-to-1 by of New York City) May 15-17. New Yorkers and abortion is favored by 75% by New Yorkers. There are approximately 16,000 NOW•NYS members. * Elizabeth Holtzman was defeated by a combination of three factorsa There are approximately 700 NOW the Reagan sweep1 D'Amato's massive chapters across the US with a funds for TV adsa and Jacob Javits-­ combined membership of 115,000+. not because of her stands on ERA and abortion, and not because she's ----~------~-~------"·-~--~ a woman. The NYS Legislature is expected_~o b_e back in session in eaFl:y hf /"r-t-/Vov, ELECTION OF CHAPTER PRESIDENT JjJ 1 e, • Helen Szabla was nominated for the The Assembly and Senate were virtually office of Mohawk Valley NOW Presi­ unchanged by the election. The dent at the October meeting. The Senate is still controlled by the election, by secret ballot, will Pepublicans and the Assembly by the be held at the November 25th Uemocrats. chapter meeting. One interesting highlight of the election a Ass. Nicolosi, author of the Another interesting election Nicolosi Bill that would have highlight: restricted abortion for minors, was defeated by an anti-choice Ca rey Peck, son of ac t: oc Gregory candidate supported by Right­ Peck, ran agains t an arch enemy of to-Life. Choi ce in the House of Representat ives from California, Robert Dornan. Susan Russell, NOW-NYS Legisla- tive Lobbyist feels we are in for Peck is a feminist and was expected a hard struggle in the Legislature. to beat Dornan but he lost by a small Beginning probably in the Des liJRF Nov, amount of votes. His defeat was session with Medicaid-funding of blamed on the fact that President abortion, the 1981 session will Carter conceded to Reagan before che deal with the Child Custody bill, polls closed in California. a possible move to rescind the ERA in NYS (along with many other Dornan's defeat, along with the defeat sta t es), and, possibly, a vote of Robert Bauman of Maryland, would on tme Human Life Amendment if have silenced two of the biggest voices it passes Congress.(The Human of anti-choice oppression in Congress. Life Amendment (HLA) may also outlaW birth control pills and Thanks a lot, Jimmy, the IUD.) Be on the lookout for news of a ABORTION UPDATE vote on Medicaid-funding in the days ahead. Our representaives The 1980 Supreme Court decision which m\is~-hear from us. rendered the Hyde amendment Constitu­ tional has triggered an attack on abortion which is ~evastating. I c Sandy Roth, National NOW Secretary, has unleashed a torrent of ant i­ attended the State Council Meeting. abortion amendments on every approp­ Here is Sandy's analysis of the riations bill in sight. elections of state legislatures in unratified-ERA statess Here is the situation as it now stands• The outlook for passage of the ERA was better before the election but Continuing Resolution a The new federal i t is cer t ainly ~ hopeless now . budget takes effect every October 1st. For i nstance, Oklahoma elected This session could not r each agree- several pro-ERA femini sts to the ment on the budget, and therefore state legisl ature. Most of the adopted a continuing r esolution which anti-ERA legislators were ousted will keep the government "in business" f r om l eadership positions there. until Decemper 15, 1980. The continuing resolution which passed the House The f eeling is that we must all work carried with it: the Ashbrook Amend­ very hard for passage. New York ~ -- no court can order Congress State and Illinois are especially to spend money for some thing Congress i mpor tant in the Florida Boycott has decided not to fund; the Bauman Campaign since so many of our Amendment -- allows s t ates to cut off resident s go to Florida in the funds for abortions even when the wi nter. woman's life is at stake. ERA opponents are expected to begin In the Senate, after a tremendous rescission attempts in many states struggle led by Senator Weiker of to divert us and our energies into Conn., the Continuing Resolution blocking rescission and therefore eliminated the Ashbrook Amendment diluting our efforts in abortion added funding for rape and incest and in winning those last three (if reported within 72 hours) to the states needed for passage by June "life-only" portion of the resolution 1982. and kept the Bauman Amendment. ) Treasury, Postal Ser v ~ce, and Human Life Anti- Injunction Act: General Government Appropriations Sponsored by Ashbrook, this prohibiits (HR 7583)2 The Ashbrook Amendment courts from issuing restraining orders to this bill prohibits all federal against any law restricting abor tion. employees health insurance from Presently in the House Judiciary covering any abortions, including Committee , it also provides that any those necessary to save the woman's Judge who issues a decision requir i ng life. This passed the House and funding without legislative approval i f it becomes law, it will affect will be subject to impeachment. 3.5 million federal employees and (For example, Judge Dooling's 1980 t heir 6.5 million dependents. ruling that ·temporarily restored Medicaid-funding in the US.) Child Health Assurance Program ( HR 4962)a This bill is particu­ Congress is now i n lame-duck s ession. larly significant because any amend­ Please contact Sens. Javits and ment to it will permanently alter Moynihan and ask him to oppose these the Medicaid Statute itself, bills. The Bauman Amendment in It passed the House with restrictions particular is an insidious attack prohibiting Medicaid funds for on freedom of choice; it strikes abortions or any services relating at the very fiber of Federal standards thereto, including post-abortion and allows states to disre~rd basic care and/or complications, levels of health care. It sets a precedent that endangers all Federal The Senate has not yet voted on standards in all areas of our s ocial this bill. well-being. If these amendment s pass the Senate they will have an District of Columbia Appropriations impact on legislation here in NYS. ( HR 8061)r The House passed this We must be on th~ alert for s imilar which cuts funding for abortion attacks when the NYS legislature except for life endangerment, rape, opens for a special session ar ound and incest. Dec. 1st. The Senate Appropriations Committee The following ·sample letter, or your released this bill without any own thoughts, should be s ent t o restrictions. our Senators and to members of the Senate Appropriations Comm ittee. e a l Services Cor oration The members are listed at the end Reauthorization (HR 6386 a of the sample letter. All letters An amendment prohibiting legal can be addressed toa US Senate, assi s tance to poor women with re­ Washington, D.C. 20510. spect to any litigation related to abortion unless it deals with life SAMPLE LETTER: endangerment, rape or incest reported within 72 hours, This has Dear Senator: passed both houses of Congress. As a concerned citizen I urge you Labor HHS Appropriations Bill to oppose any attempts to r estrict (HR 7988)a An even more restrictive funding for abortion. Specifically, Hyde Amendment cutting off medicaid I urge you to defeat the followinga funds passed the House -- rape and incest victims were dropped from 1. The Ashbrook Amendment (HR 7583) coverage and only life endanger­ to the Treasury, Postal Servi c e and ment was funded. Fortunately, General Government Appropriations the Senate restored coverage for Bill. rape and incest victims reported within 72 hours. 2. Amendments restricting abor t ions (HR 4962) to the Child Health Assurance Program. Any amendment to it will permanently alter the Lawton Chiles (D-FL)* Medicaid statute itself. Quentin Burdick (D-ND) * John Stennis (D-MS) 3. Amendments to (HR 8061) the Bennett Johnston (D-LA) District of Columbia Appropria­ Walter Huddleston (D-KY ) tions. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) James Sasser (D•TN) 4. Amendments to (HR 6386) The Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) Legal Services Corporation Dale Bumpers (D-AR) Reaut horization. John Durkin (D-NH) 5. Amendments to (HR 7988) Labor­ REPUBLICANS HHS Appropriations Bill. Hark Hatfield (R-OR) -1• 6 . The Human Life Anti-Injuction Charles Mathias (R-MD) * Ac t . Richard Schweiker (R-PA) * Lowell Weicker (R-CT)* I also urge you to defeat any Harrison Schmitt (R-NM) * attempts to reinstate a partial Milton Young (R•ND) ban on federal Medicaid funds. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Henry Bellman (R•OK) I urge you to support broad Medicaid James McClure (R-ID) abortion coverage to include rape Paul Laxalt (R-NV) and incest. Jake Garn (R-UT) Sincerely, NOW MEMBERSHIP DUES (If t he Senator has a pro-choice rec ord thank him for his past Regular Hardship support. ) National $20. $6. State 6.75 2. US SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Local s.oo 2.

(*denotes member~of the Senate Sub­ Newsletter onlya $3 . 00 Committee on Labor-Health, Education and Welfare.) When sending a check, please specify if it's hardship dues or an instal­ DENOCRATS lment on regular dues. Send toa Kate Oser, lOSS South Street, Clinton Warren Magnuson (D-WA), Chairman 13323. Robert Byrd (D- WV)* If there is a date in red ink on William Proxmire (D-WI) * your address label, that is the Daniel Inouye (D-HI) * expiration date of your dues. Ernest Hollings (D-SC) * Please let Kate know if you wish to Birch Bayh (D-IN)* continue your membership. Tom Eagleton (D-MO)* Call Kate at 8S3-2601.

602 Tracy Street Non-Profit Organization Utica, New York 13502 U. S. Pos t age Paid Utica, New York Pennit 1612

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