May 12, 2022
Slavery & trafficking victims — and students — still need help!
Earlier this year, we asked you to contact your U.S. representatives to tell them to support the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act. You stepped up, but Congress has not.
This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by pro-life champion Rep. Chris Smith and originally passed in 2000, was allowed to expire last year. If reauthorized, the law will combat forms of modern-day slavery in the United States and around the world and has been endorsed by at least 17 anti-trafficking organizations and coalitions and FFL. The bill was introduced on September 3, the 183rd anniversary of abolitionist and suffragist Frederick Douglass’ self-emancipation from slavery. You can read the bill in its current iteration here.
There is no reason that this law should lapse. This isn’t controversial. Representatives on both sides of the aisle support this bill. As feminists, we are heirs to the suffragist movement, which was birthed by the abolitionist movement. We urge this bill to be passed swiftly and once again signed into law.
To contact your representative, call the United States Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find her or him online at www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative to send an email. Tell her or him to co-sponsor and vote for H.R.6552!
Additionally, thank you again to all who contacted your representatives to support the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. Like the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act, voting for this bill should be a no-brainer. If passed into law, it will:
• amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to ensure all college students who are pregnant or may become pregnant know their rights and protections other than abortion services,
• require universities to inform students how to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if there is a violation of Title IX protections for pregnant students,
• and establish an annual reporting requirement that includes an anonymous survey on university-wide campus resource accessibility and any actions taken by the university to address violations on account of a student’s pregnancy.
This bill is about resources and support for the most vulnerable. This is our mission. Read the full text here.
Again, to contact your representative, call the United States Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find her or him online at www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative to send an email. Tell her or him to co-sponsor and vote for H.R.7294!
With Mother’s Day having just passed, make calls for moms-to-be!
Finally, as we prepare for the very real possibility of a post-Roe America, we are turning (some of) our focus to the states. Stay tuned to learn more about FFL coming to a state March for Life near you, including California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio! Check out the events at the end of this email to see where we’ll be in the coming months.
If you or your local pro-life group wishes to bring our placards to an event, you can purchase them here. They are double-sided and read “Women Deserve Better® than Abortion” and “Peace Begins in the Womb©.”
For bulk orders, you can also get a packet of 20 placards or a box of 100 placards; just cover shipping, handling, and special packaging. Donate $30 to cover costs, and let us know you did.
Thank you so much for all of your advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. March forth!
Because women — and girls — deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
Feminists for Life of America
Editor-in-Chief
Women Deserve Better
& The American Feminist
