-
-
-
-
Volunteer
WIL is run by volunteers so that nearly every dollar of contributed support goes directly toward electing pro-choice candidates. If you would like the opportunity to volunteer for WIL, please complete and submit the form below.
Become a volunteer
-
News
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We have much to be thankful for. 62.5% of the women endorsed in 2018 by WIL won their elections including:
- 8 city council members including a mayor in Costa Mesa
- 6 school board members
- 2 members of the State Assembly
- 2 members of Congress
- 2 CA State Constitutional officers
You can check-out the details at http://womeninleadership.nationbuilder.com/news
This was only possible because of the dues income from our members. Please renew your membership now so we can continue this important work helping to elect women who support reproductive rights. Just click on this link to pay on line with your credit card—please do it NOW. http://womeninleadership.nationbuilder.com/membership
Thanks for your continued support—we really do make a difference!!!!
**STATUS UPDATE: Betty Valencia for Orange City Council**
Beatriz "Betty" ValenciaA message from Betty:As an endorsed candidate, I wanted to update the organization on the current city council seat in Orange, Ca.As you may know, we were third in an 8, candidate race. Unfortunately, we did not win any of the two vacant seats, but as of Dec. 11, 2018, a third seat opened up when Mayor Murphy (a city council member) was sworn into office.We contend being third is the ideal situation for the appointment to the city council; however, we have faced resistance. The current four-member council can choose to appoint anyone in the city or hold a special election costing approximately 450k.I am asking for your support at our next city council meeting Jan 8th at 5:00 p.m. where we will meet prior to the city council meeting to hold a peaceful public demonstration. We will gather with community and supporters to express our support for fairness and democracy. We will present the city council with our signed petitions during this time.I hope I can count on your support. Please join us in telling our city we want democracy and the resident's votes to be respected, and to honor the voices of our community.In peace,Congratulations to our 2018 Endorsed Candidates!
WIL is proud to announce a record 20 endorsed candidates won their elections!
This great success was achieved in part by the support and generous donations of YOU, our members! Your WIL membership dues have been used to support these women candidates.
We would like to say thank you to all of the candidates who ran, and a big thank you to the candidates who did not win but campaigned so passionately to win!
Election results as of 11/17/18:
2018 ELECTION RESULTS -- WIL ENDORSED
ELECTED!!!
LAST
FIRST
OFFICE
AMOUNT
NOTES
Ackley
Tiffany
Aliso Viejo City Council
$1500
ELECTED! 5-way race for 2 seats; Tiffany on top
Amezcua
Valerie
SAUSD
$500
ELECTED! 5-way race for two seats, Valerie on top
Carey
Diana
HBUHSD
$1500
ELECTED! 5-way race for 3 seats; Diana #2
Carr
Kimberly
HB City Council
$560
ELECTED! Came in third among 15 candidates for four seats, ahead of 1 incumbent
Castrey
Bonnie
HBUHSD
$1500
ELECTED! 5-way race for 3 seats; Bonnie on top
Delgleize
Barbara
HBCC
$560
ELECTED! Came in second in 15 candidate race for four seats
Erickson
Kris
Orange USD
$1000
ELECTED! 52.6%-47.4% (Inc. Surridge)
Foley
Katrina
Mayor, Costa Mesa
$8000
ELECTED! 59.2%- 40.8% (Genis)
Iseman
Toni
Laguna CC
$360
ELECTED! #1 of 13 candidates
Khan
Farrah
Irvine CC
$490
ELECTED! #1 of 12 candidates for 2 seats
Klatzker
Lauren
Fullerton JUHD
$1500
ELECTED! 4-way race, Lauren on top
Ma
Fiona
CA Treasurer
$3000
ELECTED! 63.5%
Marr
Andrea
Costa Mesa CC
$2000
ELECTED! 57% -43% (Eckles)
Petrie-Norris
Cottie
CA Assembly 74
$4400
ELECTED!
Petrie-Norris 52.5 %-47.5% Harper, Inc.
Porter
Katie
CA 45
$5000
ELECTED!
Porter 51.6% -Walters 48.4%
Quirk-Silva
Sharon
AD 65
$4400
ELECTED! 56%-44%
Reynolds
Arlis
Costa Mesa City Council
$2000
ELECTED! 56.4% (beat Mansoor and Trahan!)
Sanchez
Linda
CA 38
$2500
ELECTED! 68%
Schulman
Barbara
Saddleback Valley School D
$2000
ELECTED! 4-way race for 2 seats; Barbara on top
Yee
Betty
CA Controller
$3000
ELECTED! 64.9%
NOT ELECTED
LAST
FIRST
OFFICE
AMOUNT
NOTES
Aitken
Ashleigh
Anaheim Mayor
Nov. Election
$1000
Second place in 8-way race; Sidhu 33.9% Aitken 31.6%
Castellano
Marggie
State Senate 36th
$2000
Inc. Patricia Bates 56.7%- Marggie 43.3%
Duman
Michelle
CA Assembly 68
$0
Inc. Steve Choi 53.8%-46.2%
Johnson- Norris
Lauren
Irvine City Council
$490
12 candidates for 2 seats; Laura came in #4
Lathus
Shayna
HBCC
$560
15 candidates for 4 seats; Shayna came in 7th
Loveland
Sherri
Tustin CC
$0
Write-in 5.8%
Mancuso
Judie
Laguna CC
$360
13 candidates for 3 seats; Judy was #6
Marquez
Frances
Cypress CC
$1000
6-way race with 3 incumbents for 3 seats; Frances came in 4th
Murphy
Michelle
Newport Mesa Schools
$2000
Inc. Metoyer 52.7% - Murphy 47.3%
Singer
Diane
Rancho CCD
$1000
Incumbent Yarbrough 63.3%
Valencia
Betty
Orange CC
$1000
8 candidates for 2 seats; Betty #3
Zamora
Linda
OCWD
$1000
Incumbent Dina Nguyen 65.0%
For those keeping score: 20 elected, 12 not elected
WIL NEWS E-BLAST
WIL plans to send out e-blasts from time to time to keep you informed on events affecting women's reproductive rights as well as updates on WIL activities and members. If you have a news article you believe would be informative for our members, please send to Isabel Irvine at [email protected]
Save the Date:
Thursday, August 23rd: WIL Luncheon event at Antonello's. Event invite coming soon.
Tuesday, September 25th: WIL is turning 25! Please join us for WIL's 25th Anniversary Celebration at Antonello's from 5pm - 7pm. More details to follow.
Congratulations to the following WIL Endorsed Candidates who are moving onward to the general election in November:
Linda Sanchez
38th Congressional District
voteforlinda.com
Katie Porter
45th Congressional District
https://katieporter.com/
Fiona Ma
CA State Treasurer
https://fionama.com/
Sharon Quirk-Silva
65th Assembly District
www.sharonquirksilva.com
WIL IS GROWING!
We are proud to report WIL currently has 168 members!!!
The only way WIL has money to donate to candidates who support reproductive rights is through membership dues.
Please continue to renew your membership and continue to introduce your family and friends to WIL.
Post Primary Election Results Luncheon June 13th
June 13, 2018
Costa Mesa Mayoral Candidate Katrina Foley, former Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, WIL Board members Eileen Padberg, Karen Clark, and Susan Seely, and Belinda De la Libertad
Jone Pearce, Republican Eileen Padberg, former Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, and Democrat Louise AdlerThe WIL lunch on June 13 was one of our most successful ever, with over 70 in attendance, including many women who are running for office. Our topic was "NOW WHAT??? THE PRIMARIES ARE OVER; WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?" and featured three political gurus, Republican Eileen Padberg, Democrat Louise Adler and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. After lots of eye-opening facts about the results of the primary, the take-away was that, if we want to flip Congress and also get local candidates elected who support reproductive rights, we will all have to work harder than ever. This means not only donating to these gutsy women, but making phone calls, walking precincts and giving fundraisers. It will not be easy, but we can't stand still if we want to stem the tide and start to move our country in the right direction.
Comment from one of our founders:
June 13, 2018
When we organized Women in Leadership 25 (!) years ago our vision was a group of women who would support and help elect pro choice women of both political parties. At that time, the idea did not seem at all far-fetched. We were a group of Dems and Reps ourselves and worked together in harmony. The unifying factor for us and for our beliefs was that women should be able to have a say in what happens to their physical bodies. There was no particular litmus test as, even amongst ourselves there were a variety of opinions regarding how that term should be applied and what it might look like. CHOICE was our only goal.
At the time we organized there were pro choice women of both political parties for us to support. As an organization WIL would currently continue to strongly support women of both political parties. Unfortunately, try as we might to find them, there are scant Republican women seeking our help. (We have attempted to keep our Board of Directors evenly divided among Rs and Ds but even that has become difficult for us.)
Some of our members and members of our Board of Directors have, through an excess of zeal placed too much emphasis on the Democratic party. Although understandable, the Democrats are currently the only party of choice, this has proven to be offensive to some. It’s hard to tamp down enthusiasm!
We are still clinging to the hope that we can one day be the bi partisan group that our Founders had in mind and have chosen to limp ahead with the current system. As the NPP (no party preference) becomes a more prominent option we may have to adopt new By Laws and revamp our identity but for now, this remains who we are and we are here to help any pro choice candidate who approaches us for help and support.
Ireland Votes to End Abortion Ban
May 26, 2018
Ireland voted to repeal one of the world's most restrictive abortion bans.
Read full article here.
Marggie Castellano for State Senate 36th District
WIL is proud to endorse Marggie Castellano for State Senate 36th District and we ask that you please consider supporting her campaign. Please "like" her campaign Facebook page by clicking here and please consider making a contribution to her campaign at www.marggiecastellano.com
Thank you!
How We Endorse Candidates
Our mission is to endorse and support women candidates who believe in ensuring access to reproductive education and healthcare for all women. We receive requests for WIL endorsements from candidates throughout California but reserve our endorsements and resources for those for whom some (or all) of our members can vote or in exceptional cases for an office in an adjacent county. We may endorse candidates running for statewide office (for example, US Senate or State Controller) because our members can vote in these elections.
Visit our website for complete Endorsement Guidelines at www.womeninleadership.com
Great news - Cottie Petrie-Norris, candidate for CA Assembly 74, is through the primary and on to the November General Election!
Please join Cottie this Friday, June 15th to celebrate her primary election victory and to kick off the general election campaign.
Save the Date:
Wednesday, June 13th: Join us on June 13th for a special election results luncheon. We will be discussing the results of the June primary election featuring WIL Board Members Eileen Padberg (Repbulican) and Louise Adler (Democrat) as our guest speakers. Lunch will be held at Antonello's.
Upcoming Election Dates:
June 5, 2018 - CA Primary Election
May 7 - Vote-by-mail ballots begin arriving at homes
May 21 - Last day to register
May 29 - Last day to request vote-by-mail ballot
May 31 - Mail-in-ballots should be sent to Registrar
***If you vote by mail, don't forget the June ballot requires postage of 71 cents***
YOUR VOTE MATTERS!
Dr. Jennefer Russo Lunch Event at Antonello's
April 13, 2018
Dr. Jennefer RussoDr. Jennefer Russo, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of WIL members and friends on April 13 at Antonello’s.
So many of us came to the lunch believing we know everything important there is to know about Planned Parenthood, but we soon learned we were wrong. Jennefer provided many new facts, figures and insights about Planned Parenthood and its impact on the lives of women and girls, as well as men. She also discussed the dark side, namely the increasing threats facing Planned Parenthood and women’s reproductive rights generally.
Jennefer stressed the fact that pregnancy rates have plummeted with increasing availability of family planning. The Title X Family Planning Program, enacted under President Nixon in 1970, has provided millions of Americans with affordable planning services. More than one and five women seek care from Planned Parenthood at some point in their lives. Funding for Planned Parenthood is now threatened. While family planning funding is being cut, the federal government is putting its dollars into abstinence programs and “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” – centers that appear to unknowing women to be either abortion clinics or unbiased counseling services, but which are actually anti-choice centers designed to pressure women into not having abortions.
Jennefer spoke of the lack of sex education in our community, notwithstanding the state requirement that it be taught in every school district. Planned Parenthood is now the single largest provider of sex education in the U.S. with a comprehensive curriculum covering birth control, STI’s, consent, puberty, communication skills, and decision making to kids, teens, young adults, adults, and parents.
One alarming trend discussed by Jennefer was the promotion of an alleged “abortion reversal medication” along with recent legislative attempts to require that women be notified of its existence despite no scientific proof that it works.
The following two websites were provided where we can obtain additional reproductive news:
Rewire.News – Reproductive and sexual health, rights and justice. http://rewire.news
Guttmacher Institute - A leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the US and globally. guttmacher.org
Teens in Migrant Shelters Have No Abortion Rights
February, 28 2018
The ACLU is suing the government for unlawfully restricting the abortion rights of immigrant minors.
Read full article here.
URGENT: NOW IS THE TIME TO SUPPORT WIL ENDORSED CANDIDATE MARY NAVARRO!!
The “primary” election in June is the ONLY election for the Orange County Board of Education, so this is your only chance to support Mary against her main competition, Lisa Sparks. Whoever wins in June will be the next member of the Orange County Board of Education.
Why Mary Navarro? SO many reasons!
- Mary Navarro fervently supports sex education in the public schools. Sparks is opposed.
- Mary Navarro fervently supports public schools. Sparks is a Betsy DeVos clone who supports charter schools; she also opposes free lunch programs and before and after school care in public schools.
- Mary Navarro needs your support; she is being dramatically outspent by Sparks, who is gathering in big bucks from the charter school lobby and the Lincoln Club.
If Mary Navarro wins this seat, the Board will be dominated by board members who care about our public schools. If she loses, the Board will be dominated by the DeVos types who would prefer that public money to go support charter and private school and are hostile to sex education.
Donate today even if you don’t live in her district. Whether or not she wins will impact the public schools in all of Orange County.
If you have more time than money, you can help her make phone calls and walk precincts.
Please go to Mary’s website, https://votemarynavarro.com/, for more information and to donate to her campaign, either in time or money or both.
The time is NOW! The election is less than six weeks away.
And if you vote by mail, don’t forget that the June ballot requires postage of 71 cents!
2018 Endorsed Candidates
May 1, 2018
WIL is proud to support the following candidates:
Sharon Quirk-Silva
65th Assembly District
www.sharonquirksilva.comCottie Petrie-Norris
How We Endorse Candidates
Our mission is to endorse and support women candidates who believe in ensuring access to reproductive education and healthcare for all women. We receive requests for WIL endorsements from candidates throughout California but reserve our endorsements and resources for those for whom some (or all) of our members can vote or in exceptional cases for an office in an adjacent county. We may endorse candidates running for statewide office (for example, US Senate or State Controller) because our members can vote in these elections.
Visit our website for complete Endorsement Guidelines at www.womeninleadership.com
Mona Shadia Event at Antonello's
January 15, 2018.
Mona Shadia and Ava ForsterWIL welcomed Mona Shadia as our luncheon guest on January 15. Mona is an award-winning Egyptian American journalist and writer. She worked as a professional journalist for nearly a decade for several newspapers, including the San Bernardino Sun, LA Times Community News and the OC Register.
Mona wrote an award winner column about life as a Middle Eastern and as a Muslim women in America where she addressed issues from religion and women’s rights to gender relations and cultures. She talked about how it was growing up as a Muslim in Southern California.
Mona talked about the political and cultural differences with her parents who are quite conservative. She is not a Trump supporter but her parents are conservative Republicans. Mona moved to the United States when she was 15 years old.
Mona continues to write a column for The Blog at the Huffington Post and at Cairoscene.com, an online lifestyle magazine based in Cairo, Egypt. She is also an adjunct community college political science instructor
Save the Date:
Friday, April 13th: We are pleased to announce that our next lunch speaker is Dr. Jennefer Russo, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, and fearless fighter for women's reproductive rights. The lunch will be held at Antonello's Restaurant in Santa Ana. Invitation coming soon.
Delaine Eastin Lunch Event at Antonello's
February 16, 2018
Thank you to Delaine Eastin for being our guest speaker. Delaine is a longtime WIL friend, former CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and currently the only woman running to become our next California Governor. Delaine spoke to a room packed with WIL fans on the importance of budgets being statements of our values. The lunch crowd loved her talk and engaged with her in a spirited discussion on the current state of California.
Delaine Eastin
Frieda Caplan, Delaine Eastin, and Eileen Padberg
Women Win Big in Texas Primaries
March 7, 2018
Did you see the exciting news out of Texas last week? There were a record number of women running for office in Texas, and there were a record number of women who won their primary! Close to 50 women were on the ballot for a seat in Congress and more than half won their primary outright or advanced to a run off.
Read full article here.
Mississippi Lawmakers Pass Nation's Strictest Abortion Ban
March 8, 2018
On International Women's Day, the Mississippi legislature passed a law that would prevent women from having abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Obtaining an abortion in the state of Mississippi is already challenging with only one remaining clinic in the state, and now women must face these further limiting restrictions. Governor Phil Bryant has said he would sign the bill into law.
Read full article here.
Spotlight on New Member Sarah Nowels
Welcome Sarah Nowels, our newest member of WIL. Sarah graduated from Chapman Law as a JD/MBA and is currently a partner at Amezcua-Moll & Associates. Her practice consists primarily of employment civil rights litigation on behalf of employees. Sarah was named one of Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Sarah is also very active in the legal community. A small sample of her involvement includes serving as the 2017 Chair of the OC Bar Association's Legislative Resolutions Committee, currently serving as the Vice President of the Orange County Women Lawyers Association Board of Directors , and serving on the 2018 Orange County Trial Lawyers Board of Directors.
2018 Endorsed Candidates
February 2, 2018
WIL is proud to support the following candidates:
Sharon Quirk-Silva65th Assembly DistrictCottie Petrie-Norris74th Assembly DistrictMarggie Castellano36th Senate District
How We Endorse Candidates
Our mission is to endorse and support women candidates who believe in ensuring access to reproductive education and healthcare for all women. We receive requests for WIL endorsements from candidates throughout California but reserve our endorsements and resources for those for whom some (or all) of our members can vote or in exceptional cases for an office in an adjacent county. We may endorse candidates running for statewide office (for example, US Senate or State Controller) because our members can vote in these elections.
Visit our website for complete Endorsement Guidelines at www.womeninleadership.com
OC Women's March - January 20th 2018
Thank you to all those who came out to participate in the OC Women's March on January 20th in Santa Ana. Now that the march is over, we must keep the momentum going for women's rights.
Sue Michelson, Karen Clark, Linda OethKarol Gottfredson and Eileen PadbergLynne Riddle and Lorraine PrinskyLorraine Prinsky & Greg Louganis
It's time for us to march again! Join WIL this Saturday, January 20th for the 2nd Annual Women's March!
WIL participants will be meeting at 8:30 am in front of the Santa Ana Police Department (Boyd Way). The start of the march is at Flower and Civic Center. Look for WIL signs!
Address for Santa Ana Police Department is 60 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
For information on the Orange County march, go to: http://www.ocwomensmarch.org/
For information on the Los Angeles march, go to: https://womensmarchla.org/
NEW LUNCH POLICIES FOR 2018:
Please keep in mind we are a 100% volunteer run organization, pre-paid reservations are essential to the success of our lunch events.
Beginning in 2018, we've made some changes to our lunch policies:- Sustaining Members lunch cost will be $20 instead of the Regular Member price of $30.
- If you attend without prior payment, whether or not you have made a reservation, the cost at the door will be an additional $10.00
- If you make your reservation past the event invite RSVP deadline, there will be an additional $10.00 cost.
- In order to raise more money for our endorsed candidates, we are no longer able to offer a free lunch for new members who pay their first time membership at our lunch events.
- We are unable to guarantee space for you if you have not reserved and paid in advance.
It's time for us to march again! Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Women's March on January 20, 2018!
For information on the Orange County march, go to: http://www.ocwomensmarch.org/
For information on the Los Angeles march, go to: https://womensmarchla.org/
Oklahoma judge again overturns medical abortion restriction
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma judge has again overturned a state law restricting women’s access to drug-induced abortions, according to attorneys for the state and for the groups challenging the law.
Read full article here.
Republican Majoriaty for Choice Applauds Illinois Republican Governor Bruce Rauner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kellie Ferguson
202-629-1300WASHINGTON, DC (September 29, 2017) – The leaders of the Republican Majority for Choice applaud Illinois Republican Governor Bruce Rauner for his move to restore funding for abortion services for low income women.
Rauner, a pro-choice Republican, spent considerable time and attention on this decision. After months working to find common ground with both sides of the abortion debate, he ultimately concluded that a woman must have the right to decide what goes on in her own body.
In speaking with low-income women and families across the state who are struggling to make ends meet, Governor Rauner saw that they did not have access to their constitutionally protected right to abortion because they could not afford it.
“We understand that the right to choose has become the most contentious issue within the Republican Party,” said Candy Straight, RMC National Co-Chair. “However, like Governor Rauner recognized, when you talk to low income women, you can’t ignore the daily struggle they face to simply put food on the table for their existing families. We collectively need to do better for those less fortunate here in our own country. Governor Rauner put families first and politics second with this decision.”
Funding for birth control, preventive care, family planning and even sex education have been on the budgetary chopping block in Congress and in many states across the nation.
“More Republican leaders need to realize that moves to cut basic social services are creating a scenario where access to prevention is more difficult for lower income families,” said Susan Bevan, RMC National Co-Chair. “It’s easy for well-paid, anti-choice, political strategists to cast stones and decry that this move to help low income women is akin to “declaring war on the pro-family movement. However, in doing so they demonstrate that the “pro-family” movement is more pro-fetus than pro-life or pro-family. They fail to understand the struggles and difficult decisions of existing American families. We cannot as a people, or as a Government, care only about expanding families; we have to give a fighting chance to those children already born.”###
Republican Majority for Choice
THE WIL REPORTER
FALL 2017 EditionWomen in Leadership provides a quarterly report to WIL members and friends containing important news concerning women’s and reproductive issues as well as news about WIL and its members. If you come across news you think appropriate for our newsletter, please forward it to Isabel Irvine at [email protected]. We hope you will find The WIL Reporter interesting and educational.
INDEX:BE GLAD YOU DON'T LIVE IN TEXAS
DEMOCRATIC PARTY GETTING SQUISHY ON WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS???
HOW BAD CAN IT GET: INDIA MAY HAVE THE ANSWERSPOTLIGHT ON FEATURED MEMBERS LARRY & MYRA KIRSCHENBAUM
Please join
Governor Jerry Brown
For a reception supporting the re-election of
Assemblymember
Sharon Quirk-Silva
Tuesday October 17, 2017
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
D’Vine
132 W. Commonwealth Avenue, Fullerton
$4,400 Host (2 VIP reception tickets and 10 reception tickets)
$2,500 Sponsor (1 VIP reception ticket and 5 reception tickets)
$1,000 Co-Host (1 VIP Reception ticket and 1 reception ticket)
100 Dollar Individual TicketFor tickets click HERE
For more information, or to RSVP, contact Nicole Ward (213) 605-5471 or [email protected]
Please make checks payable to:
Sharon Quirk-Silva for Assembly 2018
Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. The California Political Reform Act limits contributions to candidates for State Assembly. An individual, union, political action committee, association, committee, partnership, business or corporation may contribute a maximum of $4400 to Sharon Quirk-Silva for Assembly 2018 per election. A Small Contributor Committee may contribute a maximum of $8800 per election. Lobbyists registered to lobby the California State Legislature may not contribute.
Paid for by Sharon Quirk-Silva for Assembly 2018, FPPC ID# 1392962
For more information please contact Nicole Ward (213) 605-5471 or [email protected]
For those who heard Michele Goodwin speak and wish to contribute to her Reproductive Justice Initiative:
To make a contribution to Michele Goodwin’s Reproductive Justice Initiative project, send your check to:
UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
Gift Administration
100 Theory, Suite 250
Irvine, CA 92617Provide your name, address and email and any different name you may wish to have acknowledged as donor.
State on the check (or cover letter if sent) that the contribution is to go to: “Reproductive Justice Fund #3799 (Goodwin, M.)”
Dutch initiative to support the women's clinics recently defunded by the US President
As many of you may know the US President recently blocked funding to overseas women’s health clinics if they even mention abortion options (already no US tax money can be provided for abortion counseling or services). Women and girls have a fundamental right to decide freely and for themselves whether, when and how many children they have. She Decides is a new global initiative on sexual health and family planning, that aims to support this fundamental right. She Decides is seeking financial and political support to ensure full access to sexual health and family planning worldwide.
A recent New York Times interview with the founder can be found here
To donate visit their web page:
www.shedecides.comPoll: Voters favor Roe, oppose cutting Planned Parenthood funds
By STEVEN SHEPARD
01/27/17 12:47 PM ESTA large majority of voters support the 44-year-old Supreme Court decision that established women’s abortion rights — and oppose efforts to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood — according to a new poll released Friday.
Article from POLITICO and can be found here
-
Endorsement Guidelines
WIL CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT POLICY
WIL is a nonpartisan organization that endorses women candidates who support reproductive rights, regardless of party.
To be considered for endorsement, a candidate must be running for an office that at least some Orange County voters can vote for (local office, statewide election, U.S. Congress or Senate). In rare cases, WIL may endorse in an adjacent county.
Our endorsement criteria are as follows:
1. A candidate must fully support reproductive rights, including:
- A woman’s rights to make her own healthcare decisions including access to contraception, abortion and all reproductive health services
- Access to abortion services regardless of age or financial need
- Access to all tools and support required for compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act
2. A candidate must be deemed viable according to WIL criteria. Viability is assessed based on a candidate’s:
- Campaign organization (website, campaign consultant or campaign manager, volunteer base and/or staff, draft budget, fundraising plan, etc.)
- Past involvement in women’s causes and community organizations, on boards or committees, etc.
- Opposition
3. A candidate must be a WIL member in good standing to be endorsed.
Interested candidates should start by requesting access to WIL's endorsement application. They may then be invited to be interviewed by the board.
If multiple candidates request our endorsement for the same office, we may endorse more than one candidate or decline to endorse in the race.
WIL reserves the right to withdraw its endorsement at any time.
Candidates can request access to the endorsement application for the June 2026 Primary starting in January 2026.
If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
-
Your WIL Membership Matters
Your annual WIL membership goes directly to supporting the election of women candidates who will fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.PLEASE JOIN TODAY at one of the following levels to ensure that we can continue to elect candidates at every level of government.
Click on the selected level of membership below to pay by credit card, or mail a check to: Women in Leadership, 25392 Coach Springs Lane, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.*Join at the Leader level and bring a guest to any in-person WIL event at no charge. You will also receive an invitation to a special annual event.
Your contribution at any level enables the WIL PAC to donate funds to our endorsed candidates.WIL provides support for endorsed women candidates beyond its PAC through its members directly contributing to candidates. We request that WIL members support one or more WIL endorsed candidates each election cycle with financial and/or volunteer contributions.WIL Women Win, when we all chip in!