June, 16 2017, 11:45am EDT
FRIDAY: Sit-Ins at In-State Senate Offices Urge GOP Senators to Vote No on Health Care Repeal
Sit-In Protesters to Occupy Senate Offices in Metairie, Portland, Reno, Cleveland, Anchorage, Little Rock, Denver, and Bangor Demanding ‘No’ Vote on Health Care Repeal
On Friday, June 16th, members of the women's group UltraViolet will be staging sit-ins at in-state Senate offices in Metairie, Portland, Reno, Cleveland, Anchorage, Little Rock, Bangor, and Denver, demanding a 'no' vote from Senators on the Affordable Care Act repeal.
The protesters who plan to occupy the offices of Senator Bill Cassidy, Senator Susan Collins, Senator Dean Heller, Senator Rob Portman, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Tom Cotton, and Senator Cory Gardner's offices--argue that the Republican health care plan would be catastrophic for Americans - kicking more than 23 million people off of their health insurance, making it harder for people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage, and undermining the health of women across the country.
The actions come as Republicans announced they will vote on a bill in the Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act by the end of June after passing the bill in the House last month.
PORTLAND, MAINE:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Collins' Portland office, One Canal Plaza, Suite 802
- LOCAL CONTACT: April Humphrey. 207-200-6810
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1398
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Progressive Portland, Working Families Party
BANGOR, MAINE:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 12:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Collins' Bangor office, Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building. 202 Harlow St.
- LOCAL CONTACT: Clare Mundell. 207-332-6992
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1406/
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Indivisible Bangor
METAIRIE, LOUISIANA
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Cassidy's Metairie office, 3421 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite 204
- LOCAL CONTACT: Lynda Wollard. 504-864-9207
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1397
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Independent Women's Organization (IWO), New Orleans Abortion Fund
RENO, NEVADA:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Heller's Reno office, Bruce Thompson Federal Building, 400 S. Virginia St., SuitE 738
- LOCAL CONTACT: Autumn Zemke. 206-218-9435
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1399
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: NARAL Nevada, Working Families Party
CLEVELAND, OHIO:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Portman's Cleveland office, 1240 E. 9th St., Room 3061
- LOCAL CONTACT: Patricia Blochowiak. 216-288-7512
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1400
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Advocacy Commission, Indivisible Cleveland, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 3:30PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Murkowski's Anchorage office, 510 L St., Suite 600
- LOCAL CONTACT: Andrea Nutty. 907-717-7973
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1401
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Alaska Nurses Association, Protect Our Care Coalition, Indivisible Rapid Response Team Anchorage
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Cotton's Little Rock office, 1401 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 235
- LOCAL CONTACT: Sarah Scanlon. 501-400-6185
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1402
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Spa Area Independent Living Services, Little Rock Central Arkansas Indivisible
DENVER, COLORADO:
- WHEN: Friday, June 16th. 2:00PM local time.
- WHERE: Senator Gardner's Denver office, 1125 17th St., Suite 525
- LOCAL CONTACT: Katie Farnan. 330-327-4920
- EVENT RSVP LINK: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/event/sit_in_aca/1404
- OTHER PARTICIPATING GROUPS: Indivisible Denver
Experts warn that the American Health Care Act may result in a loss of health insurance for around 23 million people and undermine protections for those with pre-existing conditions. Time gaps in insurance coverage would force many to pay large penalties over the next year, making quality coverage more difficult to attain. The legislation would also ban Medicaid patients from using their insurance at Planned Parenthood clinics and disallow individuals from using tax credits to purchase health insurance plans that cover abortion.
Experts also warn that the American Health Care Act would lead to pregnancy discrimination, meaning that women who have undergone a C-section or suffered from postpartum depression could be classified as having a pre-existing condition and be subject to premium discrimination.
Karin Roland, chief campaigns officer at UltraViolet, explained:
"In no uncertain terms, a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a declaration of war on women. The American Health Care Act will quite literally cost hundreds of thousands of women their lives, by eliminating guaranteed coverage of life-saving cervical and breast cancer screenings, abolishing comprehensive maternity care and domestic violence screenings, 'defunding' Planned Parenthood, and limiting women's access to birth control and emergency contraception.
"Repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with the Republican plan isn't a solution, it's an assault on women and the beginnings of a serious national healthcare crisis--one which will cut off millions of Americans from health insurance coverage. UltraViolet members are occupying Senate offices nationwide to send the message that women will not allow Republicans to betray us and our families."
To read stories from UltraViolet members who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance coverage. Each poster is available to talk to media about their stories:https://cantaffordtolose.com.
For more information, or to speak with a representative from UltraViolet, please contact Yasmina Dardari at 407-922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.
UltraViolet is a powerful and rapidly growing community of people mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women, from politics and government to media and pop culture.
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