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Legislators Travel with SiX to El Salvador
Five Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council (RFLC) legislators (AL Rep. Merika Coleman, OH Rep. Stephanie Howse, FL Rep. Cindy Polo, AZ Rep. Raquel Terán, and GA Sen. Nikema Williams) traveled to El Salvador this week to see firsthand the harm full abortion bans cause. A record number of U.S. states aimed to ban abortion in 2019. While El Salvador serves as an example of the outcomes of outlawing abortion, there are also examples in the U.S. of women being jailed for pregnancy outcomes.
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November 20th is Latina Equal Pay Day
It takes until November 20th of 2019 for Latinas to earn the same amount that white males made in 2018. Make your voice heard: we need equal pay! Thanks to organizations Justice for Migrant Women, LCLAA and Equal Pay Today, here is the social media toolkit for all your posting needs. Join the social media storm 2pm ET on Wednesday, November 20.
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Supreme Court Signals Protections for Dreamers Are in Danger
Conservative justices on the Supreme Court seem likely to side with the Trump administration and shut down the DACA program, which grants temporary working status and protection from deportation to 700,000 young Dreamers. Despite diverse bipartisan support, including from military organizations, religious organizations, states, businesses, and labor unions, conservatives on the court has expressed support for the Trump administration’s arguments against the law. If the DACA program is terminated, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, families, communities, and businesses will be impacted. State legislators can advance policies to fund legal aid for DACA recipients and to prohibit local law enforcement and state agencies from cooperation with ICE, among other options.
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Suing to Save Democracy
As the 2020 election approaches, progressive legislators and advocacy groups are teaming up across the country to combat state voter suppression laws that target marginalized communities—including youth, homeless, LGBTQ, ex-felon, and minority voters. Through a series of lawsuits challenging the use of signature matching, ballot design that advantages Republicans, and restrictions on early and absentee voting, voting rights litigators are setting the stage early to protect access to the ballot in 2020. In light of recent suppression tactics like voter roll purges, residency requirements, and ID laws, a coordinated approach to defend voting rights—in courtrooms, state houses, and in the streets—will be crucial over the next year.
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Just Days Left to Save Rodney Reed
Seven states have executed 20 people this year. Last week, Georgia executed Ray Cromartie even after courts denied appeals for DNA testing. Texas is scheduled to kill Rodney Reed on Wednesday, November 20. More than two million people have signed a petition to stay Reed's execution; 26 Texas state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, have signed a letter urging Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stop the execution; and rallies are planned across the country this weekend.
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Updates from El Salvador
The RFLC delegation met with a diverse cross section of activists, politicians, theologians, sociologists, doctors, and women who have been incarcerated because of El Salvador's abortion ban. Follow the legislators' in-country reactions here and stay tuned for more reflections and what each of us can do in our home states to make sure we end global and local bans on abortion.
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