Just before it was slated to go to the House floor for a vote, the civil rights bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)was stripped of protections for the transgender community. NOW opposes this weakened version and encourages sponsors of the original ENDA to ask House leaders to withdraw the weaker bill and support the more inclusive bill.

By a vote of 60 to 39, the Senate passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would permit federal prosecution of hate crimes based on a person's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

On September 27, NOW leaders will screen and discuss the off-Broadway political satire musical Walmartopia at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City.

Thanks to the leadership of great women who have organized, demanded change, and fought for their rights, today's women have more opportunities than ever in education and employment, more economic freedom and reproductive options, and a better future for themselves and their families. But many of those gains are threatened.

So in celebrating Women's Equality Day 2007, we should pause and ask, "Is this what equality looks like?"

"It is an outrage that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), in a deplorable operation called 'Return to Sender' is violating the rights of U.S. born children and placing their well-being in jeopardy. In a cold-hearted and punitive manner, ICE ignores pleas from mothers and fathers who have lived, worked, paid taxes and formed families in this country not to be separated from their dependent children," says Olga Vives, Executive Vice President of NOW.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is urging its Maryland members to speak out against a rush to judgment in the Ocean City stillbirth case. Christy Freeman is being charged under a 2005 state "fetal homicide" law that makes it illegal to kill "a viable fetus," despite a provision in the law that was intended to protect pregnant women from prosecution for actions that result in their own fetus' death, such as abortion.

In a close vote of 225 to 199, today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. It's not surprising that the bill passed, because it simply re-states the law as it has been interpreted for many years. What is truly shocking is that 199 members of the House voted to roll back our rights and deprive women of this longstanding remedy for pay discrimination.

"It is an outrage that after an all-night session, with every senator having an opportunity to participate in the debate, the Republican minority still is blocking a Senate vote on the war," said NOW President Kim Gandy.

NOW is proud to open its national conference in Detroit, Michigan on July 13. The last National NOW Conference in the Motor City was 30 years ago, and women have gained much ground during that time. With the inspiration of thrilling speakers, the wide range of exhilarating workshops, and the energy of women nationwide hungry for change, this year's NOW conference is sure to make a lasting impact on the struggle for women's equality.

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court split 5-4 in two cases regarding the use of racial classifications to prevent segregation of public schools in Louisville, Kentucky and Seattle, Washington. The majority ruling struck down the voluntary plans designed to increase racial balance in those school districts.

"With this veto, George Bush has proved once again that his allegiance is to his extremist base and not to the millions of caregivers and families who need this research," says NOW President Kim Gandy.

In a 247-176 bipartisan vote, the House today passed a bill that would allow federal funding of stem cell research utilizing donated human embryos. "Women are the majority of family caregivers, and the heartbreak of having a loved one with a debilitating illness and the related burden of their care could both be lifted with this bill," said NOW President Kim Gandy.

"At the very core of our liberty as modern women is the ability to control our fertility and plan our families, but there is an all-out attack on birth control in this country," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "We congratulate Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) for introducing the Access to Birth Control Act."

"I have one message for XM Radio bigwigs who rely heavily on pay-to-listen customers, and for shock jocks everywhere: 'Profiting from hate will cost you the business of thinking consumers,'" says NOW President Kim Gandy.

"The passage of this bill is significant to the National Organization for Women because we have fought for the last 15 years for an inclusive law that would protect all of those who were excluded from previous hate crime laws," said NOW President Kim Gandy.

Today the National Organization for Women and our allies are calling attention to the persistent wage gap between women and men by observing Equal Pay Day. This year we pause on April 24 -- symbolizing the day that women workers finally "get out of the red" and their 2006-2007 earnings finally equal men's earnings from last year alone.

Let this decision -- which reversed a clear precedent requiring that a woman's health be protected -- be a lesson to those Senators who thought it unseemly to filibuster Sam Alito's nomination. It is clear that this precedent, set in Roe and reaffirmed in Casey, was abandoned for no reason other than the replacement of Sandra Day O'Connor with Sam Alito.

Not since Bush v. Gore has the Supreme Court made such a political decision, or one that so completely distorts the law and disregards the U.S. Constitution. Five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito — both installed by Bush and a Republican-majority Senate — ruled that the law does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

As lawmakers are set to debate proposals to "reform" the nation's immigration laws next month, the National Coalition on Immigrant Women's Rights (NCIWR) is continuing its mission, this time to educate Senate members and staff on the dire need to improve the lives of immigrant women living in the United States.

The National Organization for Women is proud to stand today with Senators Kennedy and Smith they introduce the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a law that will penalize and help to prevent hate-based violent crimes. The most comprehensive hate crimes legislation ever introduced in Congress, this law will finally classify as hate crimes certain violent, criminal acts that are motivated by the victim's gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

"Stem cell research is a woman's issue through and through," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "The research supported by this bill could someday help alleviate the suffering as well as the mental and financial stress associated with many chronic and fatal diseases," said Gandy.

WASHINGTON – Legal Momentum and the National Organization for Women (NOW) today filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) alleging sex discrimination in 34 of the first 100 programs funded by the Bush Administration under its new "Responsible Fatherhood" initiative. According to the program summaries on the HHS web site, the 34 programs are providing job training services to men but not to women.

NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy says, "NOW PAC's 'Make History With Hillary' campaign will organize and energize women's rights supporters across the country -- urging women and men across this nation to stand up and say "I'm Ready" for a woman president -- for this woman president."

The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee will mark Women's History Month with a press conference at the landmark Sewall-Belmont House, historic home of the National Women's Suffrage Association, on Wednesday, March 28. NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy and a special guest will make a major announcement regarding the 2008 election.

There are 14.2 million foreign-born women in the United States. Five-and-a-half million are naturalized citizens, another 5.5 million are documented and 3.2 million are undocumented. Each year, half of all immigrants entering the United States are women and girls. However, public policies regarding immigrants do not reflect the impact that being female has on immigrants' lives in the United States. This applies to both documented and undocumented workers.