Released on March 7, 2023

Statement by NOW President Christian F. Nunes  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Every March, we celebrate both Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. We must use this month to honor, uplift, and amplify the stories of the women who were crucial to the movement and those who continue to break barriers.

The theme of International Women’s Day this year is #EmbraceEquity and NOW is proud to boost such a profound call to action. Simply calling for equality fails to achieve what it sets out to do because it neglects to consider the needs and treatment of different populations. Equality and equity are not interchangeable – one relies on the other. As we are painfully aware, we do not all begin life at the same starting line. In the world we live in, it is an unfortunate reality that our identities —whether it be race, gender, class, or sexual orientation—are subject to discrimination, which is compounded with increasing marginalization of certain communities.  

Equity is the key to change this. Just as intersectionality underscores the fact that a woman’s lived experience differs from another based on how they identify, equity highlights that each person has different circumstances and calls for proportionate support, resources, and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome for all. But to advance equity, we must call out the ugly truths of our reality. In a world that has been built and shaped for a very specific kind of person, operating off of the principles of equality ignores the root of the discriminatory practices that exist in this world. Equity on the other hand, directly confronts the systemic barriers in place in a world where men simply have more rights than women. Without addressing these disparities, we are doing a disservice to marginalized communities and upholding systems of oppression. 

During this Women’s History Month and for International Women’s Day, let’s focus on language that better matches what we all are fighting for. Gender equality is the end goal but gender equity is the best way to achieve it.

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

WASHINGTON–No one denies that enough signatures were submitted to put a ballot initiative codifying the right to abortion on the Michigan ballot in November—more than 750,000, the largest number in state history. But when confronted with that number, extremist opponents of abortion care looked for a way to game the system and cheat Michigan voters out of their democratic rights. 

So, anti-abortion lawmakers asked the state canvassing board to reject the petitions because of “spacing errors.” The board deadlocked in a 2-2 partisan vote, and the petitions were disallowed. 

Seriously? The women of Michigan don’t get to vote on whether politicians should control their bodies because of the word “postpartumcare” on a petition? 

NOW members and women everywhere are outraged, disgusted, saddened—but not surprised.  We know what we’re up against when we mobilize the unstoppable power of democracy and grassroots activism to stand up for women’s lives. And we saw what can happen in places like Kansas, where a ballot measure to overturn abortion rights went down to a landslide defeat. 

NOW supports the call for the Michigan Supreme Court to put the abortion question back on the November ballot. When choice is on the ballot, women win. 

# # # 

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org. 

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,