*TONIGHT* presentation at Brown University

RI NOW’s Vice President of Action, Beth Sundstrom, will speak about Female Genital Cutting at Brown University on Thursday, October 26th at 5:00 p.m.

The talk is open to the public. Directions are below.

From the north and south: If traveling on I-95 South, move into the second lane from the far left as soon as you see the State Capitol building. From I-95 North, move into the right lane and stay there. Follow signs for I-195 East. Once on the ramp for I-195 East, move over all the way to the right as soon as possible. Take exit 1, Downtown Providence. Follow the exit ramp to the first light. Turn right onto Dyer Street. At the third light turn right onto College Street. At the next light, go straight up the hill. Continue straight at the stop sign halfway up the hill. At the top of the hill, where College Street intersects with Prospect Street, you will see Brown’s Van Wickle Gates. Turn left onto Prospect Street. At the light, turn right onto Waterman Street. Take the first left onto Brown Street. The address for HIllel is 80 Brown Street- on the corner of Angell St. and Brown St.

From the east: Follow I-195 West until exit 2, South Main Street. Travel down South Main Street to the first light. Turn right onto College Street. At the next stop sign, go straight up the hill. At the top of the hill, you will see Brown’s Van Wickle Gates. Turn left onto Prospect Street. At the light, turn right onto Waterman Street. Take the first left onto Brown Street. The address for HIllel is 80 Brown Street- on the corner of Angell St. and Brown St.

On Friday, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge ruled that same-sex couples from Rhode Island have the right to marry in Massachusetts, finding that Rhode Island laws do not expressly prohibit the civil marriage of same-sex couples.

Failing in a last-minute effort to increase abortion restrictions before Congress leaves Washington, D.C., to campaign, Republicans were unable to force a vote on a bill that would deprive young women of family support, threaten their friends and relatives with jail time, and restrict their access to abortion services.

The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), which is more accurately called the Teen Endangerment Act, would restrict young women’s ability to access abortion services, and provides only meager exceptions to protect the young woman’s health. Previously passed by the House of Representatives, when the cloture vote came up at 10pm Friday night, Senate leaders were unable to achieve the 60 yes votes necessary to end debate and force a vote on the bill.

“Only 13 percent of U.S. counties have any abortion provider at all, so for many women the closest clinic is in a neighboring state. This bill would have forced many young women into either unwilling motherhood or an unsafe, illegal abortion,” said NOW President Kim Gandy.

“But they really don’t care about real women’s lives. The Republican leadership was determined to trade off the rights of young women for a few Brownie points with their right-wing base, just before the elections. No doubt they will be back.”

The Teen Endangerment Act would have imposed mandatory parental notification and delay requirements on young women who need abortion services outside of their home state; make it a federal crime even for an aunt or grandmother to accompany a young woman across state lines to obtain an abortion, thus making criminals of trusted friends and family members who help teens unable to involve a parent in their decision; and will subject young women, abortion providers, and others to a confusing maze of overlapping and conflicting state and federal laws, which will make it more difficult and more dangerous for young women to obtain abortions.