Dear New Yorker,
We wanted to update you on recent developments in our fight to protect the rights and safety of women in
Working to Combat Domestic Violence
All too often we hear about domestic violence only after it's too late. In 2010 alone, there were 75 family-related homicides in
Last week, the City Council joined New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly in announcing a new citywide plan to help raise awareness about domestic violence and how we can all play a more active role in combating it.
With this 4-point plan, we hope to empower New Yorkers to tackle domestic violence and stop it in its tracks by:
Bringing Domestic Violence Services into the Community - Outreach efforts from the NYC Council, NYPD and the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence include raising awareness and providing important information regarding the services available to victims. The Council has also created a new brochure that will help New Yorkers identify the signs of domestic violence, learn about who they can turn to for help, and provide other important resources. Brochures will be made available in Council Member district offices and at upcoming community events. A copy of the new brochure can also be viewed online at http://council.nyc.gov/html/home/PDFs/071411domestic.pdf .
Expanding Citywide Workplace Training - Through a partnership with the 5 borough Chambers of Commerce, the Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for New York City, advocacy groups like Safe Horizon and CONNECT will host training sessions and best practices briefings on domestic violence policies.
Announcing a Public Service Campaign - This fall, the City will unveil a new public service campaign aimed at encouraging more people to report domestic violence. By raising awareness and getting more people involved in reporting cases of domestic violence, the police can respond more promptly and efficiently before it's too late.
Increasing Domestic Violence Screening Training for Medical Professionals - The Council will be partnering with The Greater New York Hospital Association to offer increased screening training for their members.
We would like to thank the NYPD, our Council colleagues and all of the advocates who helped us develop this comprehensive plan to better protect victims of domestic violence.
For additional information about the plan, click http://council.nyc.gov/html/releases/071411domestic.shtml .
Ensuring Funding for Vital Organizations
Even though this was a difficult budget year, we were able to secure funding for a number of initiatives that are vital to the health and safety of women of
Under the leadership of Finance Chair Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., we ensured full funding for Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), programs instrumental in identifying and bringing rapists and other sexual offenders to justice.
While other states have cut funding to their local Planned Parenthood affiliates, we made sure that Planned Parenthood of NYC has the funding that it needs to continue providing high-quality reproductive medical care to the women of our great city.
We also provided capital funding to Hollaback! , a new initiative focused on combating street harassment, and to the College of Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative .
Furthermore, we restored over $5.5 million to organizations that provide services to victims of domestic violence, including CONNECT , Safe Horizon , Sanctuary for Families , and the Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (Teen RAPP).
We want to thank everyone who wrote letters, made phone calls, attended our budget hearings, and campaigned to help protect these critical services.
Special thanks as well to all the advocates for working with us to help keep women's health a top priority in the Fiscal Year 2012 Adopted Budget.
You can read more about this year's budget agreement on the Council's website at www.council.nyc.gov .
Disappointing Judicial Action in the Fight for Reproductive Rights
Last week, Federal Judge William H. Pauley III granted an injunction against Local Law 17 , which was sponsored by Councilmember Jessica Lappin and requires Crisis Pregnancy Centers to tell the truth about the types of services they do and do not provide. It was scheduled to go into effect on July 14th.
This disappointing decision means that pregnancy service centers can continue deceiving women who seek their services. Equally troubling is that these centers will not be required to keep patients' information confidential.
In issuing this injunction, the court has failed to protect pregnant women at an extremely vulnerable time in their lives. Furthermore, the actions that Judge Pauley recommended that the City take as an alternative to the law are completely impractical and would create even more legal problems.
At its core, Local Law 17's purpose is to empower women in need of time-sensitive reproductive health services while also protecting their privacy.
Among other provisions, the law would have rightly required facilities providing pregnancy-related services to disclose if the facility employs medical staff and would have ensured that clients' health information be kept confidential.
The New York Times recently editorialized on the decision, stating "Under Judge Pauley's ruling, crisis pregnancy centers pretending to be real medical facilities cannot be made to disclose essential facts about their real services. That makes no sense at all."
This is an important measure, and we will continue fighting to protect women from these dangerous and deceptive practices.
In the meantime, please help by writing a letter to the editor of the Times in support of Local Law 17 and its immediate enforcement. You can email your letter to letters@nytimes.com .
Thank you in advance for standing up for our health and safety. If you have any questions about the initiatives described above, please feel free to contact Danielle Castaldi-Micca in the NYC Council Community Outreach Unit at 212-788-7276 or dcastaldi@council.nyc.gov .
Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
NYC Council
Julissa Ferreras
Chair, Women's Issues Committee
NYC Council
Jessica S. Lappin
Council Member & Lead Sponsor of Local Law 17
NYC Council