The National Organization for Women and its 550,000 members and supporters nationwide stand in solidarity today with the National Black Justice Coalition deploring the exclusion of black lesbian and gay activists from the upcoming Millions More March.

In response to Bill Bennett's racist and ignorant comments about aborting "every black baby" as a crime prevention measure, NOW activists joined Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus in protest last week outside the offices where Bennett was taping his show.

George W. Bush's nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court raises important questions for women's rights supporters. While we are pleased that Bush chose a woman for the High Court, her judicial philosophy is more important than her gender. Miers' potential as a justice is unknown at this point.

Only 22 senators had the courage to stand up for women's rights when it mattered. NOW applauds those senators who voted to reject this dangerous nominee, and it is unfortunate that the courageous actions of a few are overshadowed by the fall-in-line politics of so many more.

Women will be front and center as many thousands rally in the center of our nation's capital today to send a message to the Bush administration that the war in Iraq must end.

On Sept. 24, National Organization for Women leaders and activists will march to end the war in Iraq. Since its inception, NOW has advanced a progressive, feminist agenda for peace. Today, we urge the U.S. government to end our military occupation of Iraq and invest proportionate financial resources in Iraq rebuilding, humanitarian relief and personal safety of the Iraqi people.

"The FDA's continued contempt for women's health is astounding," said NOW president Kim Gandy after Tuesday's announcement that the agency had issued yet another "approvable" letter for risky silicone breast implants, this time to Inamed Corporation.

With a 13-5 vote today, approving John Roberts' nomination to be chief justice of the United States, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee set a course toward confirming a man whose votes could reverse years of progress for women's rights and civil rights.

NOW members and activists across the country are saddened by the death of the indomitable Molly Yard, who served as NOW's president from 1987 to 1991. Yard died on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Pittsburgh, after a lifetime of leadership in the women's rights and civil rights movements.

Yesterday Senator Arlen Specter said of John Roberts' answers during his confirmation hearing for Chief Justice of the United States: "They may be misleading, but they are his answers."

The National Organization for Women has been outspoken in our opposition to the nomination of an anti-women's rights, anti-civil rights judge, John G. Roberts, to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that Roberts' attitudes toward women have been revealed, it is an outrage and an insult to the women of this country that George W. Bush has nominated such a jurist to be Chief Justice of the United States.

Make no mistake. The passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist creates a crisis unlike any in my 30-plus years in the women's movement. While we send condolences to Justice Rehnquist's family, this is a crisis for our movement and we must act now.

The National Organization for Women, on behalf of more than 550,000 contributing members, is deeply opposed to the nomination of John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court.