NOW Logo

In Memory of Dr. George Tiller

Dr. George Tiller of Whicita, KS has been providing abortion services to women in Kansas for over 20 years years. He was one of only three doctors nationwide who provided late-term abortion services. His clinic was first bombed in 1986. During the 1990’s he was shot in both arms. His clinic has subsequently been vandalized—most recently one month ago. This morning, he was gunned down while attending Sunday services at his local church.

Women across the country have lost a champion for women's rights this morning.

In our opinion, this is an act of domestic terrorism and should be investigated as such by the US Department of Homeland Security. We call on the new US. Attorney General Eric Holder and head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to treat this murder and all other threats and injuries against abortion providers in the same way they would treat politically-motivated domestic terrorism of any other kind and put the full resources of their two departments behind that effort.

Joanne Tosti-Vasey, President
Pennsylvania NOW (posted May 31, 2009)

PA NOW Urges U.S. Senate to Support Health Care Reform

In a letter to Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley, Pennsylvania NOW urges the Congress to take on national health care reform to ensure that health care coverage is accessible and affordable to all.

PA Senate Bill 850 to Cut All Funding
For Human Services/Advocacy Commissions in 2009/2010 Budget

Call your legislators to protest- make your voice heard

WEDNESDAY, MAY 06, 2009, BELLEFONTE, PA: It has come to our attention that the Senate has proposed a Bill (SB850) that would eliminate funding for all advocacy types of Pennsylvania’s state commissions in the 2009/2010 budget.  This zero-level funding will eliminate all of the following commissions that focus on specific groups of people or regions of the state:

  1. Pennsylvania Commission for Women
  2. Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs
  3. Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs
  4. Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs
  5. Governor’s Commission on Children and Families
  6. Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers
  7. Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
  8. Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Affairs

Each of these Commissions provides critical information to the Governor on their particular issues and advocate for their constituents.  All of these Commissions need funding to ensure that women, children, and people of color as well as those living in the rural parts of the state get the services and programs they need to survive in these hard economic times.

As a Commissioner and Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women (PCW), your Pennsylvania NOW President, Joanne Tosti-Vasey knows about the work in which  this particular commission is involved. I am providing you with talking points and background information on what will be lost if the PA Commission for Women is defunded.  Similar losses will also occur for the other Commissions if this bill passes.

This bill is moving fast.  The state Senate is now in recess and in their home districts until Monday, June 1 and the House of Representatives will be in their home districts from Friday, May 15 until Monday, June 1 for the Memorial Day recess. We ask that you visit, call, write or email your Senator AND your State Representatives, in particular, Senators Dominic Pileggi, Jake Corman and Joseph Scarnati, sponsors of the Bill, demanding that they reinstate the Pennsylvania Commission for women budget for 2009/2010.

Who’s my legislator?  Identify your Legislators and find their contact information here. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/.  FYI, here’s the Contact information for Senator Pileggi, Corman, and Scarnati:

Senator Dominic Pileggi:  (717) 787-4712 (Harrisburg), (610) 358-5183 (District Office), and dpileggi@pasen.gov

Senator Jake Corman: (717) 787-1377 (Harrisburg), (814) 355-0477 (District Office), and jcorman@pasen.gov

Senator Joseph Scarnatti: (717) 787-7084 (Harrisburg), (814) 726-7201 (District Office), and jscarnati@pasen.gov

Many PA NOW PAC Endorsed Candidates Won in May Election

On May 19th, many of the candidates receiving Pennsylvania NOW PAC endorsement went on to win in the primary election. For a complete list of winners who will go on to the General Election, see the PA NOW PAC endorsements.

PA NOW Expresses Concern with Governor's Oversight Committee

On April 16, 2009, representatives from the state legislature and advocacy organizations held a press conference in Pittsburgh calling for an expansion of Governor Rendell’s Stimulus Oversight Committee to add three women and three people of color to the committee. Pictured on the right are, Front row: Heather Arnet, Women and Girls Foundation; State Rep. Chelsa Wagner (D) HD 22; Rev. Maureen Cross-Golden, NAACP; Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Pennsylvania NOW, Inc.; and Doris Carson Williams, African-American Chamber of Commerce.  Back row: Tim Stevens, Black Political Empowerment Project; DeWitt Walton, United Steelworkers; State Rep. Jake Wheatley (D) HD 19; Fred Redmond, International Vice-President, United Steelworkers; and Celeste Taylor, Racial Equity Monitoring Project. (See statement by PA NOW President, Joanne Tosti-Vasey.) Press Conference Picture

PA NOW President Delivers Speech Before Allegheny County Council Regarding Proposed Human Rights Ordinance

Pittsburgh, PA - February 18, 2009:  "We want to applaud your work on creating an anti-discrimination ordinance for Allegheny County.  We are especially pleased to see that you are expanding on the PA Human Relations to add marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, and gender identity to your set of protected classes.  Should this ordinance be passed, it will become the fifteenth jurisdiction in the state to provide expanded local protections against discrimination in Pennsylvania," said Joanne Tosti-Vasey, President of Pennsylvania NOW.

"After reviewing the proposed ordinance, Pennsylvania NOW is recommending five amendments and a review of the enforcement section of the proposed ordinance to strengthen its protections.  My detailed testimony contains more detail as well as several attachments for your perusal and assistance in amending the ordinance." (See full press release of testimony.)