For the Record…

Chicago NOW PAC has never sanctioned the use of our name in any computer generated phone calls (robo-calls).  We have not and will not participate in any smear campaigns.  We stand by our decision to support Jim Madigan based on his qualifications and his answers to candidate questionnaires.  Chicago NOW PAC has not made and will not make any negative statements about his opponent or any other candidate.

New Website – Closing Blog

As of tonight our NEW Website is LIVE!  All of our blogging activity will take place on the website.

Please check us out at http://chicagonow.org/!!

Chicago NOW PAC Endorsements

The Chicago NOW PAC would like to thank all of the candidates that took the time to review and answer our questionnaire.  We have compiled a list of endorsements for the February 2^nd primary election.  If the district is not listed, then we chose not to endorse based on lack of information.

Chicago NOW PAC Endorses:

President of County Board 
Toni Preckwinkle

County Commissioner, 2nd District
Desiree Grode

County Commissioner, 3rd District
Monica Torres-Linares

County Commissioner, 7th District
Jesus G. Garcia

County Commissioner, 8th District
Edwin Reyes

County Commissioner, 12th District
John A. Fritchey

County Commissioner, 13th District
Larry Suffredin

Chicago NOW PAC Supports:

Chicago NOW PAC Supports Jim Madigan for State Senate, 7th District.

Don’t forget to check out more information on our NEW Website (Launching Soon)!!

http://www.chicagonow.org

If you would like to receive a copy of the ALLIANCE OF BAR ASSOCIATIONS FOR JUDICIAL SCREENING judge ratings, please email cnowpac@gmail.com.

National NOW Action Alert – Oppose the Manager’s Amendment!

Take Action NOW: Please call your senators immediately and urge them to oppose the Manager’s Amendment in the Senate health care reform bill, which will effectively make abortion coverage unavailable in health insurance exchanges and, ultimately, in private insurance policies as well. If the Manager’s Amendment passes, urge your senators to oppose the entire health reform bill.

A nearly 400-page Manager’s Amendment offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), being debated currently, contains a provision every bit as bad as the infamous House-passed Stupak-Pitts Amendment. The provision was drafted to gain the vote of abortion rights opponent Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and is a complicated variation of Stupak-Pitts. It allows any state to prohibit abortion coverage in health insurance exchanges. In addition, all funds that would pay for abortion services would have to be segregated from other private funds and federal subsidies. This requirement would apply to the tens of millions of women who would buy their insurance under the new exchanges and, in the opinion of expert health policy analysts, would mean that insurers simply would not provide abortion coverage in the exchange plans. Eventually, insurers would stop offering abortion coverage altogether.

The Senate health care reform bill is highly flawed now, with the leadership having been forced by a lone senator, Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), to drop the most important components of reform: a public option and the Medicare buy-in for persons ages 55 to 64. While there are remaining aspects of the legislation that are positive, these three factors — an abortion coverage ban, no public plan and no Medicare buy-in — make the Senate bill unacceptable, in our view.

YOUR MESSAGE:

Call your senators directly to their Washington, D.C., offices (please do not dial the main switchboard, as it is likely overwhelmed with calls from abortion rights opponents), and urge them to oppose the Manager’s Amendment. You can make the call by going to our website, entering your zipcode, and then clicking on the “info” link under each of your senators.

If the Manager’s Amendment is adopted, ask your senators to vote against the entire bill. The Senate does not HAVE to pass this flawed bill before Christmas, but they MUST fix the bill to remove onerous abortion restrictions! And the senators should restore the public option and the Medicare buy-in as well

Police Review Board: Anthony Abbate FIRED!

The Chicago Chapter of the National Organization for Women is pleased to report that the Police Review Board has recommended that Anthony Abbate be discharged.  While this is not the ideal punishment for a violent felon, we are pleased that the board recognizes that Abbate is not fit to serve in this city.  This decision sends the message that Judge John Fleming could not: the abuse of women and girls in Chicago must stop!  The police are not above the law!

We wish the best for Karolina Obryka and her family.

Chicago NOW

Click here to read the decision…

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Respondent, Police Officer
Anthony Abbate, Star No. 18601, as a result of having been found
guilty of charges in Police Board Case No. 08 PB 2676, be and
hereby is discharged from his position as a police officer with
the Department of Police, and from the services of the City of
Chicago.

Also, Chicago NOW was present at the final police review board trial… be sure to read our summary here.

Abbate Police Review Board Decision Expected Soon!

The Police Review Board is expected to announce their decision this week!  Stay tuned!

Boycott Ralph Lauren! Protest Negative Body Image in Advertising! – December 15th!

CHICAGO BOYCOTT OF THE RALPH LAUREN STORE ON MICHIGAN AVENUE IN CHICAGO

Next Tuesday December 15th at 4pm, we’re going to have a peaceful demonstration in front of the Ralph Lauren store in Chicago at 750 North Michigan Avenue.

Women, girls, men and some organizations will join us as we send the message to Ralph Lauren and the rest of the industry, no more advertising to women and girls the way that you’ve done in the past.