The fabric of American democracy rests on the fact that equality is a common principle.  This principle is woven within the United States Constitution, yet efforts to disenfranchise women in this country continue to plague its credo with obstacles threatening their safe legal reproductive healthcare.  Anti abortion laws sprouting within this country are causing a disparate impact, contributing to denying women control over their reproductive health.  Strategies have never been as sinister as the ones executed by the current fundamentalist right-wing controlled political machine.  Abstinence only education, barriers to contraceptives along with the Bush defined ‘partial birth’ abortion ban, and the recent U. S. Supreme Court decision continues to assault women’s rights and their existence.  These new devices diminish women’s’ access, denies female Americans their right to reproductive healthcare, challenging the validity of our nations democratic principles by invalidating their citizenship.  

Activism at the grassroots level around women’s equality has never been more pivotal.  The National Organization for Women  (NOW) realizes that the struggle for women’s equality rests upon the success of grassroots organizing.  These strategies have proven to be the best outlets for achieving social change.  NOW’s grassroots activism and organizing possess the ability to mobilize voters around an issue, increase its awareness and affect its outcomes by enlisting local community organizations and people with shared political and social concerns who agree to influence public policy to achieve particular goals. NOW’s legacy of executing successful actions around core issues like reproductive justice, serves as a catalyst creating valuable opportunities in communities for flourishing activists, motivates women and girls to explore their full potential, introducing fresh, innovating vision to keep the feminist movement alive for future generations when women are finally recognized as an essential member of this world.
    
Next week NOW will continue its grassroots tradition.  NOW activists will assemble in Birmingham, AL for Alabama Reproductive Freedom Summer 2007 to protect choice against Operation Save America, (formally Operation Rescue), anti choice zealots consisting of self-righteous, right-winged fundamentalists, who use a nationwide network of churches to organize actions against abortion providers and harass women visiting the clinics.  As an organization with a strong pro-choice foundation, The National Organization for Women stands firm on reproductive freedom. The need for safe legal abortion services for the women in the South is critical since they already face tremendous obstacles in obtaining comprehensive sex education, birth control and emergency contraceptives. Our commitment to preserving a woman’s right to choose is unwavering.  We will continue sending a strong message to the anti choice establishment.  We will not return to the days of deadly back-alley abortions.

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