Hungry for Justice!

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is encouraging President Clinton to veto pending welfare legislation because its effects on poor women and children will be devastating. NOW has launched the Hungry for Justice campaign to stop the punitive welfare bill.

The final Welfare Repeal bill likely will:

• Eliminate the safety net for poor women and children. AFDC, the federal welfare program, would be eliminated and replaced by block grants to the states. When a state runs out of money, poor women and their families would be left with no means of support.
• Severely restrict aid to legal immigrants.
• Apply a lifelong time limit of five years. While this provision requires a recipient to work for pay, it does not provide adequate funding for education, job training or child care. Nor does it value poor mother's work -- raising her children.
• Push more than a million poor women and children deeper into poverty.
• Give states the option to deny assistance to children born to teenage women if the mother does not live at home. Young mothers would be forced to live with their parents or other guardian -- even if her family is violent or poor themselves -- in order to receive benefits.

• Tell President Clinton to veto the Welfare Repeal bill. The White House Comment Line phone number is 202-456-1111, the email address is president@whitehouse.gov.
• Join activists in a fast. If President Clinton does not veto the welfare bill within 24 hours of receiving it, activists will fast. The purpose of the fast is to increase our understanding of and commitment to ending poverty. We also hope the fast will encourage all of us -- including President Clinton -- to examine our hearts and consciences, while calling attention to the plight of the poor.
• Join NOW. NOW's 270,000 members are committed to justice for all women. Call 202-628-8669 or check our web site for more information: http://www.now.org.
• Make a contribution to NOW's Hungry for Justice Campaign. Many people are sending the amount of money they would spend on one day's meals to NOW's Hungry for Justice campaign. The money will be used to cover organizing costs for the fast and vigil. Please send your contribution to: NOW, 733 15th Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005.