Dear Team:
It's not over till it's over.
It seems that the rush to finish -and pass- the massive tax overhaul has hit a bit of a yellow light. Senate and House Republicans are struggling to reconcile differences between their two bills, while negative response to the tax bill is increasing. And for good reason:
Consider, under the proposed tax plans:
- 13 million Americans will end up without healthcare
- Medicaid, Medicare, food assistance, and other services for millions of women and families will be gutted
- Medical expense deductions will be eliminated (this is in the House tax plan)
- The Affordability of graduate school for many individuals will be out of reach (this is also in the House plan)
This is terrible for families - and not good for the overall health of our country. That's why for this week's action alert we are asking you to once again to call your representatives and voice your objection to this destructive bill.
For our state action, we also need all hands-on deck. Today, the House Health Committee is expected to vote on House Bill 258, a clearly unconstitutional bill, which would ban all abortions after 6 weeks - before most women know they are pregnant. And House Health Committee is rushing the process to pass the Down Syndrome Ban Bill before they leave for their December break. Under the bill any doctor who knowingly performs an abortion after a Down syndrome diagnosis, or who had "any other reason to believe" a woman was making the decision based on a possible Down syndrome diagnosis could be charged with a felony.
To help get exposure on these horrible, unconstitutional bills, NCJW/Cleveland and Columbus is partnering with the Freedom of Choice Coalition Ohio. Together all our organizations are asking members to:
- Join the Stop the Bans protest and rally at the Ohio Statehouse stairs at 11: 45 am on Thursday. Click here to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/1188752471258547/
- Show your support for the #stopthebans movement by posting on social media
- Stream the protest from the Planned Parenthood Facebook page (@PPAOhio)
Ready? Let's Go!
Wednesday's National Action: Stop the Tax Bill
Your Script:
Hi, my name is NAME and I am member of National Council of Jewish Women from [CITY, ZIP.] I'm calling to urge the legislator to vote against the tax bill when it comes out of conference committee. The bill-which will leave 13 million Americans without healthcare and gut Medicaid and Medicare -is not good for families or for the overall health of our country. Thank you for your time.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
Wednesday's State Action: Stop the Abortion Bans
Your action: Help spread the word about these unconstitutional bills
Your Steps:
- Stream the protest from the Planned Parenthood Facebook page (@PPAOhio)
**Just a reminder, there is power in numbers. The more people who call on these issues, the more our voices will be amplified. To sign up for these weekly action alerts, sign up here
http://bit.ly/2rVcFGC or contact NCJW/Cleveland's executive assistant Lisa Hayzlett at
[email protected] or 216.378.2204 ext. 101. Feel free to forward these scripts onto others. You do not need to be a member to sign up for these alerts*
