By: Susan E. Oser, NFBPWC Rapid Response Committee Chair

Issues that will need your attention and need to be addressed. 

As Rapid Response chair, it is my job to keep my ear to the ground and eyes to the screen or otherwise on issues that I feel should not only be an issue for us personally but also for your locals to discuss or have a special educational presentation on.  The following are a few that I recommend (please note that these are my opinions and do not necessarily represent NFBPWC views or advocacy platform) we all need to pay attention to…especially during this election year: 

Voting Rights –  

With primaries, local elections and local issues already being voted on, some places have already had issues.  This will be of big concern during our key presidential election this year.   There are also issues with gerrymandering and changing voting districts.  Some of these have already seen court dates with more to come. 

Reproductive Rights – 

We have already seen in Alabama the concern of what life is defined as and how this issue affects IVF treatment.  There have been calls on various fronts to block access to abortion rights, IVF, and other reproductive health care that if passed can have detrimental consequences to women’s health.  Reproductive Freedom is a hot issue that is bringing out the vote and should be a hot issue bringing our voices to the table. 

LGBTQIA+ Issues – 

The LGBTQIA+ community has become the latest political football and excuse to discriminate for no reason, other than political points from one side of the aisle. This is especially true of our transgender brothers and sisters.  The recent news of Nex Benedict’s tragedy and the over 300+ anti-trans legislation laws should give us pause to not only educate ourselves but also support a community that has really faced a lot within the last year. 

Please connect with Sue Oser at rapidresponse@nfbpwc.org if you have any ideas on topics that should be focused on and discussed as we get into the big election cycle or you feel have not been addressed in this article.  In future articles, I’ll be focusing on each of these (and any others suggested by you) for a better understanding and education of the issues.)