Dear John,

One evening, while sobbing over an ex-boyfriend (remember that guy on an electric unicycle?) my cousin recommended I start “gratitude journaling” to make progress on “my healing journey.”

I’m going to be honest: I don’t think it worked. (Unless a sign of “healing” is mocking your ex in a work newsletter). But while gratitude isn’t meant for ex boyfriends, it is most certainly meant for you.

I am so grateful for all the work the Law Center was able to accomplish in 2023. Despite the odds, we made transformative, long-lasting change in the lives of so many women and girls.

So, here’s my attempt to gratitude journal about it:

• In May 2023, the Biden administration launched the first federal enforcement against a hospital for denying emergency care following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in response to a complaint filed by NWLC, holding a hospital accountable for denying our client emergency abortion care.
• In June 2023, we launched the groundbreaking Abortion Access Legal Defense Fund, which will help pay the legal fees for abortion patients and supporters being unjustly dragged through the courts.
• In October, President Joe Biden released a budget asking for $16 billion for emergency child care funding—the same amount of emergency funding we’ve repeatedly called for in order to prevent a looming child care crisis. 🧐
• Also in October, we led an amicus brief in support of Jane Doe and Megan Roe, an 11- year-old middle schooler and a 15 year-old high schooler who challenged Arizona’s anti-trans sports ban. In Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, we also filed amicus briefs to protect minors’ access to gender-affirming health care.
• On November 1, the National Women’s Law Center and State Innovation Exchange (SiX) launched the State Gender Policy Collective, which will deepen and expand policy, research, and communications support–and cross-state collaboration–for state policymakers and leaders advancing gender justice across all states.

Oh, and I want to be crystal clear here: The only reason we were able to accomplish any of this was because of you. Your support makes all of our progress possible, John, and right now that support can make 2x the difference.

Until December 31, every gift, up to $150,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar. Make your first $5 year-end gift right now!

I’m so encouraged by the wins we’ve seen this year. I feel empowered when I consider that voters in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont have all passed ballot measures protecting abortion rights, or when I see brave survivors of sexual harassment winning cases against their harassers. But there’s a lot of work still to do, and it’s coming in hot when the calendar flips to January 1.

In 2024, NWLC is focused on defending access to abortion and birth control, securing access to affordable child care, and fighting corruption in the courts (oh yes, the Supreme Court too). We’re continuing our work protecting people against workplace harassment with the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, and closing the wage gap that hits women of color especially hard. We’ll be pushing the Biden administration to finalize the Title IX rule that protects students from sexual harassment and assault, and continuing to fight for LGBTQIA+ students.

Basically if there’s a fight to protect or expand rights under attack, you can bet NWLC is going to be right there on the front lines—just like we have been for the past 50 years. And John, we’d love to have you with us.

Are you in? Join the fight for gender justice with your first $5 year-end gift before December 31, and it will be matched, up to $150,000:

Thank you for enduring my first attempt at gratitude journaling (or, I guess, emailing). I want you to know that it is truly your words that have carried me through this past year.

I read every reply to my newsletter—from you (rightfully) mocking my ex to (also rightfully) worrying about how I forget to take my birth control—and I feel so lucky to be a part of this community!

As we enter 2024, I hope that you will stick by the Law Center (and my ramblings). In the meantime, I wish you all a lovely and restful holiday season—void of electric unicycles.

Happy new year,

Gemma Simoes Decarvalho
she/her/hers
Writer and Editor
National Women's Law Center

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