We’re heading into the final weeks of summer with lots of good news and positive updates on the work we do together!
I said together because, as a non-profit public interest legal organization, we would not have the resources to do any of this work without the generous support of people like you.
Our most recent victory has been literally years in the making. On July 17, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the City of Pittsburgh can enforce its Paid Sick Days Act, which was challenged by business interests after being signed into law back in 2015. This is a big win not just for the approximately 49,000 workers no longer be forced to choose between a day’s pay and taking care of themselves or a family member, but for public health. WLP authored and filed an amicus brief on behalf of 51 ally organizations. This victory also sets a significant precedent for local enforcement of a wide range of local public health ordinances.
On July 12, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the decision of the state Office of Open Records to redact certain information from a public records request submitted by radical anti-abortion activists, who inappropriately attempted to scrape detailed information about doctors, staff, and even board members of healthcare facilities that provide abortion care in Pennsylvania.
On July 2, we earned another win that affirmed the constitutional rights of immigrant detainees. This is a terrible case centered on a young mother named E.D. who fled Honduras with her child to escape abuse. E.D. was routinely sexually assaulted while detained at Berks Family Residential Center by an employee of the Center. The assailant was convicted, but the facility’s administrators are attempting to evade liability for enabling the abuse. WLP wrote and filed an amicus brief successfully arguing why Berks and related authorities can and should be held liable for abuse of detainees.
We are moving forward in our challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on Medicaid abortion coverage. We were so pleased to see an op-ed from nurses supporting the litigation and calling for equitable access to safe legal abortion by lifting the Medicaid ban on abortion coverage.
We were also thrilled that the National Abortion Federation honored WLP Senior Staff Attorney Susan J. Frietsche with the NAF “Unsung Hero” award for her work representing Pennsylvania abortion providers—critical, often invisible work that keeps their doors open amid an onslaught of legislative attacks.
We enjoyed a night out with a fabulous slew of Philadelphia theater artists who curated a show donating proceeds to the Women’s Law Project. (Inspired to do something like that? Contact Raven Dorsey at rdorsey@womenslawproject.org!)
We continue to stand in solidarity with Tammy Jackson, the 34-year-old incarcerated mentally ill woman who was inhumanely forced to endure labor alone in a cell down in Florida. These atrocities—plus the fact that between 1980 and 2017, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 750%–inform our support for the Pennsylvania Dignity for Incarcerated Women legislative package.
In August, we are preparing to fight for women, girls, and LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians at the Capitol by pushing for common-sense policy reform and undoubtedly fighting to beat back very bad bills, like the six-week abortion ban introduced earlier this year.
Thanks for your support. Even in this climate, we can get work done if we come together.
Final note: Save the date for our annual gala this fall in Philadelphia. We have a new date and location! Please plan to join us November 22 at The Ballroom at the Ben. You can also support our work by making a one-time donation or sustain our work by arranging a monthly contribution. Thank you for your support.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center devoted to defending and expanding the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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