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Greetings!
As we approach the last days of Women's History Month, in this issue we see just how far we have come and how much further we have to go.
 Your (Wo)Man in Washington is once again nominated as a Circle of Moms Top 25 Political Mom!
And now it's time to exercise your right to vote: I hope that my readers will head over to the Circle of Moms polling station and click the thumbs up button on my behalf. You can vote once a day every day from now until 7 pm on April 4 - so vote early and vote often, and thanks so much for your ongoing support.
VISIT NAMC on Facebook
LIKE Your Your (Wo)man in Washington
FRIEND Valerie Young on FB
FOLLOW@WomanInDC on Twitter
CHECK new content our blogs: Your (Wo)Man in Washington and Mothers Central.
Post a comment, send us your thoughts, or ask a question - we are always thrilled to hear from you.
Regards,
The mothers of MOTHERS
  
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 DC Dispatch -
Affordable Care Act Debated | | 
Springtime in Washington, and mobs of people are gathered outside the US Supreme Court debating the same argument going on within - Is the Affordable Care Act constitutional? Can individuals be required to purchase health insurance coverage? Feelings run high on both sides, and much hangs in the balance for women. If the reforms survive the legal challenge, some current practices will no longer be allowed. For example, women may not be charged more for insurance just for being female, and treatment for injuries arising from domestic violence cannot be excluded. Coverage for routine screenings that only women need, like mammograms and pap smears, must be available without co-pays from the patient. Perhaps most importantly, maternity care will have to be included in covered care, and can no longer be left out of the policy, leaving women on their own to pay for prenatal, delivery, and post natal treatment. The Court is expected to reach its decision in several months. |
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Mothers in Chains |
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 The state of Florida just passed a bill halting the practice of shackling women in prison when they give birth. Health experts agree that shackling is dangerous to both mother and baby. From a recent Huffington Post blog:
There is no need for shackling, as the vast majority of incarcerated women are there for nonviolent crimes. The average person in a women's prison is of reproductive age, is a mother to minor children, and is incarcerated for crimes of poverty and addiction. Many are survivors of abuse. Most are already in high-risk pregnancies. What incarcerated people need are respectful and comprehensive health services. The practice of shackling only furthers victimization and increases risk.
Florida is the first state in the southeastern United States to stop shackling women during labor. For more background on this outrage, you can download a webinar, watch and listen to it on your computer, or look at Mothers Behind Bars, a report from the National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.
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Remember 1992, The "Year of the Woman"? |
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 It seems almost cute now, how we thought, twenty years ago, that women had finally made their way into Congress and other elected office and were there to stay. Now the numbers have fallen.
At a mere 16.8 percent of House membership, women's representation in the United States' national legislature last year ranked 78th in the world, tied with Turkmenistan, according to statistics compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Why have women not run in larger numbers? Could the 2012 elections reduce the number of female legislators even further? Washington Post political reporter Karen Tumulty answers these questions in this front page, above the fold feature. |
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Hardwired To Care |
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The New York Times asks: "Is it really true that women end up shouldering more of the parenting burden simply because they like it more - or at least dislike it less?" Biology, hormones, cultural values and economic demands all contribute to how we parent. They can even influence how truthfully we answer questions concerning how we feel about different caregiving tasks. Tara Parker-Pope mulls it over in this column from the Sunday Times Magazine.
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Read and Review
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 We've got our eye on two books this time around. Valerie has profiled The Richer Sex by Liza Mundy over at Your (Wo)Man in Washington this week, and Mama, PhD has hit the shelves, full of tales about the intersection of academia and family life. Somebody, send us a review copy!!
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Become a Member and Support MOTHERS Work | |  We cannot do this work without YOU.
For just $35 a year you will get discounts to conferences, free webinars and access to members-only discounts and resources. Your tax-deductible donation will also provide programs and support for the caregiving work mothers perform.
JOIN the NAMC, the parent organization of MOTHERS, and make a difference for MOTHERS in concrete ways!
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How can one gift make thousands of women happy?
A portion of each purchase of a Signature Mothers' Center Bracelet by Jewels For A Cause goes to the National Association of Mothers' Centers. Makes a wonderful gift for your mother, aunt, best-friend and for yourself.
Mothers' Center & New Mom Signature Bracelets
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