Important Developments in Issues for Women and Families

October is Domestic Violence Month 

Information for programs can be found on the National Council for Jewish Women webpage. Visit the website to learn how to get involved in promoting economic security and supporting survivors of violence.

Day of the Girl Child

The UN declared October 11 the International Day of the Girl Child! Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.” Read the resolution on the International Day of the Girl Child.

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children

According to Forbes (October 2, 2013) the government shutdown will affect “over 8.9 million moms and kids under five living near or below the poverty line [who] rely on supplemental vouchers for healthy food, breastfeeding support, infant formula and other necessities dispensed at clinics nationwide [through Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC].”  There likely will be funds to run many of the programs for about a week, at which point an already vulnerable population will not have the support they need.

With the shutdown well into the second week, this has become an issue in many states.

Affordable Care Act

The provision of contraception under the Affordable Care Act was an area of controversy. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “Contraception plays a pivotal role in women’s lives. And for millions of U.S. women, it’s the nationwide network of publicly supported family planning centers that allows them and their families to reap the significant health, economic and social benefits of contraceptive use. This highly successful effort is supported by programs like Medicaid and the Federal Title X family planning program. The Guttmacher Institute created a video to help put facts squarely back into the debate.