Washington, D.C. — With each natural disaster we face, it seems like we discover a new set of challenges for women dealing with the impact of the aftermath.  

Sixteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and brought about 135 million dollars in damage, claimed roughly 1,000 lives, and displaced nearly 600,000 people. Hospitals were overwhelmed with patients, and federal agencies were slow to act as people spent countless days without water, electricity, food, and housing. Today, we are holding our breath as we wait to see if the damages of those affected by Hurricane Ida are synonymous or even more significant than those of Katrina.    

As we wait to examine the fallout, we must acknowledge one significant takeaway—natural disasters fuel the cycle of disparities and inequalities for women, especially women with low incomes and women of color. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and catastrophic as the climate crisis evolves. With these life-altering events exposing systemic barriers within our society and economy, women are the top causalities.    

The frequency of these phenomena shrinks the recovery time for women as they struggle to find long-lasting resources that will address the umbrella of issues that emerge from our unstable climate. Some of those issues include homelessness, economic loss, a rise in violence against women, and the loss of access to healthcare. In a few days, weeks, or even months, people will begin to look the other way and leave these women to deal with the aftermath alone. Ignoring this issue perpetuates that cycle, a cycle that ultimately infringes on their civil liberties.   

Environmental Justice is an issue that NOW and its members are dedicated to tackling every day. One small step that we all can participate in is aiding the teams on the ground with enough resources to bring some relief to the people impacted by natural disasters. As identified by Gizmodo, here are some local and national organizations that are here to help those affecting by Hurricane Ida:   

• Imagine Water Works: this local organization is helping community members locate power sources and is accepting donations that will go towards recovery efforts support.   
• Crowdsource Rescue: This Texas-based organization connects volunteers and search and rescue teams to people who need urgent help. They provide remote volunteer options and are accepting donations.   

• Rebuilding Together New Orleans: Rebuilding Together New Orleans uses 100% of the materials and funds donated to help rebuild and repair the damaged communities.   
• The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies: this organization is placing its efforts in aiding people with disabilities get what they need during natural disasters. They encourage you to call their hotline for assistance (1-800-626-4959)   
• Save the Children: This national organization has developed a relief fund that will bring essential items such as diapers, formula, and cribs to families.   
• World Central Kitchen: WCK is accepting donations and volunteers to help bring food to people affected by the storm.  

You can locate more credible organizations using Guidestar or Charity Navigator.   

We are thankful for all the volunteers, organizations, people who give, and those who share resources with others. Aid should not stop when buildings are repaired or flood water recedes. Climate justice is a feminist issue, and we must act now to help improve conditions for all women. The cycle must end.   

WASHINGTON, D.C. — By not taking action on its own to block Senate Bill 8 (S.B. 8), the U.S. Supreme Court upended our system of laws in favor of vigilante justice.  At six weeks, many do not yet know they are pregnant, and without access to safe abortions, millions of people in Texas could be forced to go to extreme or dangerous measures.  

S.B. 8 also allows anyone to sue abortion providers and any individual who helps a person obtain an abortion- from doctors to counselors to clinic escorts -and earn a profit of $10,000 for each successful claim.  This would create a roving gang of vigilante anti-abortion extremists who would be state-sanctioned harassers, following people into clinics, intimidating them at their homes, and even suing those who drive friends or family to obtain an abortion. 

This legal action effectively overturns Roe v. Wade in Texas.  Instead of being able to access abortion care, Texans face the harsh hypocrisy that bodily autonomy is only guaranteed to some.  It’s an end-run around the Constitution, an assault on our values as citizens, and an assault on our reproductive freedom. Instead of keeping enforcement of our laws in the hands of state officials, prosecutors, and health departments, it gives members of the public that authority–replacing professional expertise and legal standing with racism, misogyny, and extremism.   

Abortion providers have filed an emergency application to block the law, which is rooted in systemic oppression and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. NOW urges the Supreme Court to act on this application immediately and protect Roe. We must continue to sound the alarm on these attacks on reproductive freedom and prevent S.B. 8 and any other similar laws from being enacted across the country. Abortion access is hanging by a thread. 

NOW Celebrates Women’s Equality Day 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One hundred and one years after the 19th amendment was certified, guaranteeing women the constitutional right to vote, women have used our vote as our voice.  And by making our voices heard, we’ve been able to break countless barriers.  From recently welcoming our first woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, to electing a record-breaking 143 women into the U.S. Congress, each year, we continue to find new walls to push down in our crusade for equality, whether it’s in education, employment or even our health care system.  

However, as impressive as our progress has been, our efforts towards equality cannot be guaranteed until we enshrine them in our constitution and ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).   

Many of the strides women made in the last 150 years are actively being overturned before our eyes. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Women’s Law Center analysis shows that women’s participation in the workforce decreased to 57 percent, the lowest since 1988. Women are making an inequitable choice between being caretakers for their families or maintaining a career during this unprecedented time. Women are also still fighting to close pay gaps while navigating environments that poorly address discrimination and harassment.  And, many states are seeking to pass more restrictive reproductive healthcare legislation while the Supreme Court is evaluating the securities awarded to women in Roe v. Wade.  

Low-income women, women with disabilities, women of color, immigrant women, and the LGBTQIA+ community continue to be disproportionately affected by the current structures of our political systems – structures that provide no clear pathways for justice and don’t protect survivors against domestic violence, harassment, and sexual assault. This is why NOW supports an intersectional interpretation of the ERA that uplifts the needs of all women, especially those from marginalized and underrepresented communities.  

Ratifying the ERA is a top priority for NOW. We will continue to advocate for its passage by applying pressure on our elected officials until it is outlined in our bill of rights. Without the ERA, women cannot fully step into their roles as full citizens protected under the constitution. The threat of regression remains. 

This Women’s Equality Day, NOW urges the Senate to pass SJ Res 1, eliminating the timeline for ratifying the ERA. Women were deliberately left out of the constitution, and it’s way past time to correct this oversight and ensure “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged… on account of sex.” There is no deadline on equality; pass the ERA, NOW.