Reports & Toolkits
MEMO: H.R. 3 Proponents Narrow Rape Exception
This memo expalins how H.R. 3 proponents seek to narrow the rape exception. The House Judiciary Committee report on HR 3 reflects an attempt to narrow the rape exception even though the statutory term "forcible" was removed and misrepresents longstanding policy on the rape exception.
Promising State Child Care Quality and Infant/Toddler Initiatives
High-quality child care encourages children’s learning and development and helps them enter school ready to succeed. Yet in most communities, high-quality care is in short supply, particularly for low-income children and very young children. States and communities are working to address this shortage and improve the quality of care through a number of promising strategies, with the help of federal funding. To obtain a snapshot of notable state quality improvement initiatives, the National Women's Law Center asked child care administrators in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia to identify their states’ most promising quality initiative and most promising infant/toddler initiative supported with these resources.
Duty First: Towards Patient-Centered Care and Limitations on the Right to Refuse for Moral, Religious, or Ethical Reasons
This article provides an overview of the harm to patients caused by refusals to provide health care based individuals’ or institutions’ religious, moral or ethical beliefs. The article argues that any law or policy allowing health care providers to refuse services to patients must emphasize providers’ duty to their patients. The article examines existing refusal laws, and describes how they contravene medical ethics and undermine established principles of quality medical care. The article concludes with recommendations for heightened patient protections which limit the burden of refusals currently imposed on patients.
President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget and H.R. 1, the Continuing Resolution: A Tale of Two Visions
The budget is a statement of national priorities, and in February 2011, the nation was presented with two drastically different visions: President Obama's budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and H.R 1, the House Republican bill for funding (or de-funding) the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011.
Below the Radar: Religious Refusals to Treat Pregnancy Complications Put Women in Danger
A serious but little known problem is putting women’s health and lives at risk: because of their religious beliefs, certain health care providers do not give appropriate treatment to women experiencing serious pregnancy complications.
Prior Year Federal Budget and Appropriations Analyses
NWLC analyses and resources about past years' federal budget and appropriations proposals can be found below.
The Case for Dependent Allowances in Washington: $98 Million in Federal Funds Available to Help Jobless Workers Support Their Families
This report explains how reforming Washington state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program to include “dependent allowances” for jobless parents could help vulnerable families make ends meet while making Washington eligible for nearly $98 million in federal funding to finance the reform.
Rally for Girls' Sports: She'll Win More Than a Game
To address the discrimination in athletics that girls still face in high schools nationwide, the National Women's Law Center launched the Rally for Girls' Sports: She'll Win More Than a Game campaign, which features advocacy and outreach to parents and other adults. The campaign also includes the filing of administrative complaints against twelve school districts across the country for failing to provide girls with equal opportunities to play sports, in violation of Title IX.
Mothers Behind Bars: A state-by-state report card and analysis of federal policies on conditions of confinement for pregnant and parenting women and the effect on their children
NWLC and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights released the Mothers Behind Bars report, which explores the egregious practice of shackling women during childbirth and other important issues affecting pregnant and parenting women—the vast majority of whom are non-violent, first-time offenders. In the report, each state is graded on whether it has adequate policies—or any policies at all—on prenatal care, shackling, and family-based drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration.
Health Care Messages – Above Median Income Women Voters Survey Results
The findings are based on a nationwide poll of 1001 women who are registered voters with household incomes of $50,000 or more. The survey was conducted online from August 23-31, 2010, on behalf of the National Women’s Law Center.
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