The NOW: National Organization For Women

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest feminist activists’ interest group of United States that seeks to protect the individual rights of women. The influential success of NOW can be understood through following factors. Its’ concrete background; nearly half century worth of history as foundation; well structured organization; membership incentives; the function and approach of NOW/PAC and NEP; up to date Statement of Purpose; high priority to key issues that benefits society as a whole; and lastly the services that NOW provides on the global scale.

In the news article “Abortion: Every Woman’s Rights” Sharon Smith wrote an article about women’s rights to get abortions prior to the hearing of the Planned Parenthood v. Casey court case, “which threatened to severely restrict women access to abortion” (Smith). Women wanted reproductive control over their lives and felt that they were not equal to men no matter what advances they got at work and how high their level of education was. The women’s right movement wanted women to have the choice of abortion for all women, the rich and the poor. In the US, thirty- seven states did not provide

Before women had rights to decide whether they could keep their baby, some states didn’t allow abortion, therefore requiring women to give birth to their child. In today’s current issues, abortion is still a controversial subject with millions of people supporting it or not supporting it. Every woman has the right to make changes to her own physical body, and those rights should not be taken away, according to the constitution. In the very famous case in 1973, “Roe v. Wade”, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. In the article, “Roe’s Pro-Life Legacy”, it is explained how after this movement, the right to abortion, lives have changed and led to lower abortion rates (Sheilds 2013.)

One of the first moral issues addressed by both sides of the abortion debate concerns a pregnant woman’s so-called natural “right” to make “reproductive choices.” (“The Rights of Pregnant Women”) Anti-abortion advocacy groups claim that “the only way to actually protect the mother’s rights will be by enforcing laws that secure her child’s right to life,” (“Argument 2”) whereas pro-abortion groups contend that these laws “create a dangerous precedent for wide-ranging government intrusion into the lives of all women.” (“The Rights”) With two fundamentally contrasting viewpoints at odds with each other, it is apparent that one of the core issues concurrent with abortion is a woman’s rights versus the rights of her unborn fetus.

In a time fraught with hot button issues, one that polarizes perhaps more than any other is that of abortion. Unfortunately, it is also an issue that is difficult to write about while remaining unbiased. Paul Stark’s “How Abortion Hurts Women” and Sarah Barnes’ “The Long Term Effects of Abortion on Women” both set out to prove that abortion has serious side effects on the affected party. Both Stark and Barnes cite several studies done in both America and abroad to support their claims, as well as, in Barnes case, offering their own insights on the matter. It seems that both authors purpose is to enlighten their audiences on the under-reported effects of abortion on women in order to spark a new conversation that doesn’t center around the unborn

July 13, 1848 marked the beginning of a movement that would shape the beliefs and rights of today’s society. It was on this day that the fight for social and political equality among America’s women began to develop. This renowned movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, had many goals in which mighty-powerful women would achieve with a mind-set to push them through any barrier or obstacle obstructing their path to equality. Lasting until 1920, the Women’s Rights Movement had a target towards changing how women were treated and looked upon within their “stereotypical” societies. Women advocated their rights through organizations and campaigns, as well as educating others of the unfair justice. With the help of the Women 's Rights Movement and the brave, fearless women who supported this reformation, the fight for women 's liberation was on the move towards success. This historic

This group was founded in 1969, so it was around when Roe v. Wade was going on. They supported Roe and her team. In 1973, after Roe v. Wade just ended the group renamed themselves “National Abortion Rights Action League”. In the article after the court case the group now thought “concentrated on identifying allies in the federal government”. This meant that they now believe that the government understood where they were coming from and saw their point of view. The main goal of this group was to protect the choices of women such as: abortion, rights, voting, and equal pay and

The NACW was formed during the time, many women were trying to gain voice when it came to being African American. They were known to take care of the home while the men were out in the fields or trying to find their identity in the United States. The group believed that with

During the process of trying to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment there were certain people who were huge supporters of the amendment and others who were eager to prevent it from happening. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, there were many different feminist groups in New Orleans, such as the National Organization for Women or NOW, the Independent Women’s Organization or IWO, and the Women’s Liberation Coalition or WLC. NOW and IWO were categorized to be more of the liberal groups, whereas the WLC was the more radical collective group. In 1966, feminist Betty Friedan co-founded NOW. This organization was an aspire for women, to bring them “into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men.” Friedan was also homophobic. She referred to lesbians as the “lavender menace”, and warned NOW chapters not

This article stood out to me because even though I do not believe in abortion, this article opened my eyes to why women do get abortions. I feel like women should get the last say in if she wants an abortion  or not because it is their body and even if the man wants to keep the child, it should be the woman's last say. I feel like no matter what the relationship is of the man and women having the child, it is the woman's body and the man just has to deal with her decision because it is not his body. This article talked about family and motherhood because the author says “I’m pro-abortion because I take motherhood seriously (#3)” and I do agree with the author about that because when the child is born, the mother should provide everything she can to keep the child happy and healthy. If the mother can not  provide a stable home for her child (whether the father is in the child's life or not), the baby should be born into a family that can take care of it. Then she talks about “I’m pro-abortion because well-timed pregnancies give children a healthier start in life (#2)” and that goes along with providing the child with things/food it needs. That also goes along with if the parents are ready/prepared for the child. If a mother can not provide for her child and the father may not what the child, then I understand why

The National Organization for Women is an organization that focuses on obtaining total equal rights for women. Founded in 1966, their work includes gaining social rights, family rights, economic rights, and just general human being rights, among others, for women, which are still lacking in today's society. Actions that they have taken include decreasing the wage gap, expanding knowledge on women's health issues, gaining marriage and family rights, and targeting the lack of realistic representation of women in our society. The National Organization for Women also operates on an international base, with the United Nations as their main international focus. Even so, though the majority of their actions are focused with the United States.

Of all the legal, ethical, and moral issues we Americans continuously fight for or against, abortion may very well be the issue that Americans are most passionate about. The abortion issue is in the forefront of political races. Many people in society today choose to be pro-choice because they want to support women of their choice and right to have an abortion and that sex education that promotes abstinence is not effective. According to “Abortions: every Woman’s Right” by Smith S., the article discusses about how women couldn’t be equal to men because they don’t have the same rights to reproductive rights of their own even if though they are advanced in the job market or have a higher education. Even socialist argue that women deserve to have rights over their body without interference. Part of NARAL’s impact to

“Excessive restrictions stigmatize women seeking abortions and discriminate against those who lack the knowledge and understanding of legal grounds for abortion and vulnerable groups, such as poor and rural women and girls” (Finer). Abortion is commonly known as a murderous crime in which a mother chooses to terminate her child, but I do not view abortion that way. Abortion is when a mother determines that she is not capable to raise a child at the moment. I believe that tougher abortion laws should not be passed because it should be a women’s basic right to her own body, also, many women do not have the financial resources it takes to raise a child, and either way women will still seek illegal ways to get an abortion with risky outcomes

Abortion has been one of the hottest topics concerning women’s health care and reproductive rights. Tune into any presidential debate and you’ll notice candidates spending as much time discussing the topic as immigration, foreign policy, climate change, and gun control. There are a lot of misconceptions about the pro-choice movement but it can be explained in very simple terms. Being pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion, it simply means accepting that women have the choice to choose what they do with their bodies, not the government or anyone else. I believe strongly in this issue and believe that we should look at our past and not go back to a time where women did not have the same rights as men over their bodies. We are trying to become equal, not return to an era of submission. No man or government should have the power to control a women’s body; every person has a right to his/her own body. Abortion should be kept an easy, accessible, safe, and legal option for all women regardless of beliefs. We should be taking strides forward toward equality, not steps back. In the mid-twentieth century, second wave feminists saw major struggles of women and sought to radically improve and change the security of women and reproductive rights. We have fought hard for many of the rights we have today, but everyday we are challenged by those who want to oppose and erase our efforts.

The IAW was formed to help the fight for women’s suffrage. The women’s suffrage movement was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women’s rights movement. The suffrage movement in the United States gained prominence with the first women’s rights convention in the world: the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, active members of the abolitionist movement who met in England in 1840 at the World