Category: Women's Issues

Women's Rights Election Post Card Parties - May 4th and 5th, 2024

4/26/2024

MoveOn Women's Rights Election Postcard Parties
May 4th and 5th at 2 pm

Saturday, May 4th
Davenport Public Library, Eastern Branch
6000 Easter AV
Davenport, IA (map)

Sunday, May 5th
The Brewed Book
1524 N Harrison ST
Davenport, IA (map)

Gender Equity Forum

Join a Women’s Rights Election Postcard Party Event!

Abortion rights are on the ballot this November - we have to fight to elect candidates that will expand reproductive rights and protect our bodily autonomy.

MoveOn is sponsoring opportunities to write postcards to voters in battleground states focused on reproductive freedom.

There are two local events for the QCA - both in Davenport.

Saturday, May 4 at 2 pm at the Davenport Public Library, Eastern Branch

and

Sunday, May 5 at 2 pm at the Brewed Book on Harrison in Davenport

Please RSVP so the host knows you'll be coming.

The link to register for the Saturday event is here: https://act.moveon.org/event/moveon-house-parties/138078/

The link to register for the Sunday event is here:
https://act.moveon.org/event/moveon-house-parties/138079/

You are welcome to attend both of these fun parties and meet other local activists.

Alta Price and David Anderson (local event host)

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PACG Book Club - "Looking for Jane", January 2024

12/30/2023

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PACG Book Club - Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Monday, January 15th at 5:15 pm - hybrid meeting

Edwards Congregational UCC
3420 Jersey Ridge Rd
Davenport, IA (map)

PACG Book Club

Note: Our PACG Book Club discussion will start 15 minutes later as another group now uses the room at the church until 5 pm.

For January we will read and discuss Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall. The book is set in Canada in current times, but follows the lives of the characters in earlier decades before abortion was legal in Canada. Although abortion is a theme, there is more emphasis on mothers, daughters and relationships. I would consider it historical fiction.

Here is more about the book from Goodreads:

"A debut about three women whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories."

"2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane."

"1971: As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had."

"1980: After discovering a shocking secret about her family, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her."

Our February book will be Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow. Read more about the book at this PACG Blog post.

Hope you can make it! Click on my name for a link to the Zoom meeting.

Alta Price

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Intersectional Resource Fair -PACG Events

8/26/2023

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Intersectional Resource Fair
Saturday, October 7th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

MCC of the Quad Cities
2930 W Locust ST
Davenport IA

PACG, The Project, One Human Family-QCA and the RealMainStream

This event is presented by One Human Family QCA, The Project of the Quad Cities, and TheRealMainstream.com.

Connection with Intersectional Resources in Our Community
FREE TO ATTEND! RAFFLE & DOOR PRIZES!

Our community is FILLED with resources -- but sometimes, we haven't yet had a chance to discover them all, because we're focused on what we already know.

The Intersectional Resource Fair is an unprecedented chance to learn, learn, learn about nonprofits, groups and businesses that serve marginalized identities and strive to be intersectional.

Come by for a few minutes, or stay for a couple of hours. Whatever it takes for you to partake of information from throughout the Quad Cities area and beyond about the resources available to you in more than a dozen different areas of interest.

Better yet, you'll receive door prizes just for showing up. And you'll win raffle tickets just for visiting the tables on hand, plus more raffle tickets if you complete some fun games.

Come intersect with us! This opportunity starts at 10:30 a.m. Sat., Oct. 7, and continues only until 1 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Find the support you need in:
-Housing
-Child care
-Education
-Employment
-Social justice
-Health care
-Animal welfare
-Substance use
-Spirituality
-LGBTQ topics
-BIPOC topics
-Small business
-Women's topics
-Environmental stewardship
-Community & social events

This free, simple, yet high-impact event is for nonprofits, community groups, and small businesses throughout the Quad Cities area -- especially those serving marginalized identities -- to share more about themselves, with more people, from more identities.

Share about the services you provide, how to access them, your upcoming events, your volunteer needs .... whatever will help you connect with more of your intersectional community.

More information is available here.

PACG Webmaster

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QC Women’s Equality Day - PACG Event

8/18/2023

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Celebrate Quad Cities Women’s Equity Day
Saturday, August 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Quad City Botanical Center
2525 4th AV
Rock Island, IL (map)

PACG, QC NOW and AAUW Davenport-Bettendorf

The public is invited to join a Quad Cities celebration of Women's Equality Day on Saturday, August 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island.

Women’s Equality Day commemorates the signing of the 19th Amendment in 1920 granting women the right to vote.

Women who lead in elected office, business, education and the arts will speak. The program will begin at 2:15. All are welcome to stay to socialize and learn about local organizations that support women. Refreshments will be served.

No RSVP is necessary and the event is free.

Quad Cities Women's Equality Day is sponsored by the Quad Cities National Organization for Women, American Association of University Women Davenport-Bettendorf, and Progressive Action for the Common Good.

Susan Leuthauser

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Introducing Hands Off! Happy Hour - PACG Event

7/17/2022

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Introducing ✋ Hands Off Happy Hour🤚 !
Wednesday, August 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Rozz-Tox
2108 3rd AV
Rock Island, IL 61201 (map)

PACG Gender Equity Forum

One of our new forum's goals is education about issues impacting women and non-binary people. We have decided to follow in the footsteps of our very active and successful Environmental Forum and do a monthly educational, social gathering for the Gender Equity Forum. If you are unfamiliar with Green Drinks, the PACG Environmental Forum has been holding these monthly meetings since February of 2019. Green Drinks usually offers one guest speaker who discusses their particular area of environmental expertise at the meeting. You can see a complete list of all of the PACG-hosted Green Drinks meetings here.

With this inspirational group in mind, the Gender Equity Forum will host its first Hands Off! Happy Hour on Wednesday, August 10th at 5:00 pm at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island.

You can order a drink either inside or at the walk up window outdoors. If the weather permits, we will gather outside in the green space at the right side of the building, and, if it’s raining, we will meet inside.

This will be a social hour with no selected speaker. We will speak briefly about the importance of community, friendship and self-care during the difficult work ahead.

Please join us for the fun!

Alta Price and Carolyn Martin
Gender Equity Forum Co-Facilitators

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Gender Equity Forum - A Message from the Board

6/30/2022

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Gender Equity replaces Women's Equity in forum name

A Message from the Board

Gender Equity Forum

We have decided to change the name of the Women's Equity Forum to the Gender Equity Forum to reflect the original intended inclusiveness of the group.

PACG was founded in 2005 as an organization built around our multi-issue forums. As progressives, we all care about many different issues. Those who feel strongly about a given concern or problem can join with others to work specifically on that topic as a member of that issue forum. Members meet to plan events and actions around their cause.

In July of 2008, the PACG Women's Issues Forum held its first meeting. But over the years the need for this forum was replaced by other work for the common good, and it was disbanded.

When we decided to reactivate the group as a result of the SCOTUS leak on the looming decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we realize that we only slightly updated our forum name. However, in doing so, we may have unintentionally excluded an entire population of people from our group - those who do not identify as women but are nonbinary. We apologize for our oversight.

We welcome everyone to join this forum to work on Gender Equity in the QCA and the nation! You will see name changes across our platforms to reflect our desire for inclusivity.

Thank you for your patience with us as our own progressiveness progresses!

Alta Price and Carolyn Martin

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SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Op Ed - Women's Equity Forum

6/26/2022

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SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Op Ed

PACG Women's Equity Forum

Note: This Op Ed was prepared by the new PACG Women's Equity Forum in advance of the ruling by the Supreme Court. We submitted it to the the Quad-City Times last week and hope that it will be published soon..

Date: June 21, 2022

The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to deny women federal protection to control their own reproductive choices and bodily autonomy, and to allow individual states to enact widely varying laws regarding abortion, represents an enormous setback for women.

As individuals within a collective society, we will never fully agree on the question of when life begins because personal beliefs dictate and shape that thought. But a more readily answerable question might be this. Whose life is more important and valued: an autonomous woman already navigating her adult life, or a dependent fetus whose continued growth and delivery may pose grave physical, personal, and economic risk to that woman?

Another perplexing question is whether we trust women to make informed decisions regarding their own health and welfare - what is best for them in their own unique set of circumstances – or if we believe that remote legislative bodies in a state or national capitol know better.

Maternal mortality rates are often used as a sentinel measure of a society’s well-being, and cultures that do not value women suffer a higher percentage of maternal deaths. The United States is a sad outlier among high-income countries, with one of the highest rates of maternal mortality. A woman is substantially more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication or in the first year postpartum if she lives in the United States than if she resides in Canada, Australia, or Europe. Contributing factors include our highly fragmented medical system and lack of universal health care, among others. Enforcing pregnancy, while simultaneously failing to provide nationally funded, comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care, and denying free and universal access to effective contraception is unfathomable.

It is much safer to undergo an abortion than to continue a pregnancy. In 2020, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists stated that the risk of death associated with pregnancy and childbirth is 14 times higher compared with abortion. Legislation within a democracy typically exists as a means by which the health and welfare of its citizens is protected, not abandoned. But the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision reversing nearly a half-century of reproductive health protection is abandonment. Similarly, the recent decision by the Iowa Supreme Court, ruling that our state constitution does not protect the right to an abortion, endangers women’s health.

Overturning Roe will not end abortion in the U.S. Banning abortion will only stop safe abortion. Women will die.

Since 1935, when maternal mortality rates in the U.S. were first separated out by race, a disturbing racial disparity has been documented. Black and Indigenous women die from pregnancy related complications at two to three times the rate of their White counterparts. We will likely see this disparity increase even further, as Black and Brown women are more apt to be deprived economically and may lack the material support and means to travel out of state to have an abortion, should they desire to do so.

Numerous unanticipated events can complicate a previously uneventful pregnancy. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, women and physicians in certain states now find themselves subjected to scrutiny and treatment debates over common obstetric complications such as ectopic pregnancy and incomplete abortion (a subcategory of spontaneous miscarriage). It is untenable that there are now states in which life-saving treatment of these complications is up for debate, something reminiscent of a dystopian novel rather than modern 21st century life. It is not possible to write a state law capable of addressing the myriad potential developments in a patient’s pregnancy, while also allowing for the nuance required in good clinical management. These challenging decisions need to be made between the woman who is pregnant and her physician. No one else should be allowed into that conversation.

Besides the absence of universal health care, we lack affordable childcare and universal pre-K education. Since 2009, the Iowa minimum wage has remained a paltry $7.25 an hour, while in Illinois it was increased in 2022 to $12 an hour. It is simply not possible for a family, let alone a single-parent household, to thrive on these wages. For a family with one child, existing childcare costs in Iowa take up a whopping 18% of a single parent’s family budget, and with two or more children the percentage is even higher. The economic hardships of an enforced pregnancy will push more women and their children into poverty, denying them full and self-determined lives.

Societal progress has been slow, and women are tired of waiting for change and the elusive concept of equality. But besides the dire health and economic consequences, an enforced pregnancy can cause other catastrophic upheavals: It can change the entire trajectory of a woman’s life. Her education may be derailed and never completed, she may choose to stay in an unhappy or abusive relationship, she may not have the time or emotional capability to care for additional children, and her future may be irretrievably altered.

We profoundly disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Carolyn K. Martin, M.D.
Alta L. Price, M.D.
Co-Facilitators, Women’s Equity Forum
Progressive Action for the Common Good

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We Will Not Go Back! rally for Choice in Davenport - Action Alert

6/24/2022

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We Will Not Go Back! rally - Action Alert
Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm

PACG Women's Equity Forum and other groups

Vander Veer Park
215 W Central Park AV
Davenport, IA 52803 (map)

Sponsored by:
QC-National Organization for Women, PACG Women's Equity Forum, One Human Family-QC, Iowa Women United and others

Women around the U.S. awoke today to the news that they have less reproductive freedom than their mothers did. A woman's right to make her own decisions regarding pregnancy has been either taken away or is in grave danger of being abolished.

While we have known for some time that the Supreme Court intended to overturn Roe v. Wade, today’s decision is no less devastating to women and nonbinary people across the nation.

We Will Not Go Back!

Thirteen states have trigger laws that immediately end abortion access. We know that another 13 states will likely move to end abortion rights in the coming weeks and days. This decision will certainly affect Black, Brown and poor people disproportionately. They already face unsatisfactory medical outcomes, placing them at even greater risk of dying either through forced pregnancy or illegal abortions.

This outrageous attack upon women and nonbinary people cannot stand. We must codify women's choices about their own reproductive health into law.

Bring your signs (if you have them) and your energy and join us at Vander Veer Botanical Park to rally for women's rights. We will be meeting at the Stone Fountain on the south side of the park closest to West Lombard Street.

Alta Price

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ACLU of Iowa Meet and Greet - PACG Event

6/24/2022

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ACLU of Iowa Summer Meet & Greet Events: Davenport Edition
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

LULAC Center
4224 Ricker Hill Rd
Davenport, IA 52802 (map)

Women's Equity Forum and Civil Rights Forum

Come hear timely updates on our work from ACLU of Iowa staff, meet other ACLU advocates in Davenport, and find out more about how to get involved in some of the most pressing civil liberties issues in our state!

Everyone who registers will receive a free ACLU of Iowa t-shirt and have the chance to win raffle prizes from local businesses. Appetizers will be provided.

Please RSVP by June 28.

Schedule:
5:30-6: Check-in and mingling
6-6:45: Program
6:45-7:30: Social time

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/FMnVs-ygaUuoA1Y9vGSG1A2

Alta Price

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Introducing the Women's Equity Forum - A Message from the Board

6/21/2022

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Introducing the PACG Women's Equity Forum

A Message from the Board

Progressive Action for the Common Good has started a new Women’s Equity Forum in response to the looming U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. This radical ruling threatens catastrophic consequences for women who will lose the right to bodily autonomy and control over their reproductive health care decisions. It will up to state governments to decide the fate of women and their families.

Although our members living in Illinois have protections at the state level, those in Iowa face grave risks.

The Iowa Supreme Court recently reversed a decision from four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution. This change opens the way for Governor Reynolds and the Republican state legislature to ban abortions in Iowa. Our new Women’s Equity Forum will allow PACG to respond to this disaster by giving members of our community a place to take effective action to counter some of the worst consequences of the loss of these rights.

Although the immediate crisis is the loss of abortion rights, we recognize that many other issues affect women and nonbinary persons. The Women’s Equity Forum will address these as well.

The co-facilitators of the Women’s Equity Forum are Alta Price, MD and Carolyn Martin, MD. Both are retired physicians. Dr. Martin is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the forum. Dr. Price has been involved with PACG since its founding, so she knows how to take action!

Contact either Alta or Carolyn to get involved.

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Women's Rights Election Post Card Parties - May 4th and 5th, 2024

MoveOn Women's Rights Election Postcard Parties
May 4th and 5th at 2 pm

PACG Book Club - "Looking for Jane", January 2024

PACG Book Club - Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Monday, January 15th at 5:15 pm - hybrid meeting

Edwards Congregational UCC
3420 Jersey Ridge Rd
Davenport, IA (map)

PACG Book Club

Intersectional Resource Fair -PACG Events

Intersectional Resource Fair
Saturday, October 7th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

QC Women’s Equality Day - PACG Event

Celebrate Quad Cities Women’s Equity Day
Saturday, August 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Introducing Hands Off! Happy Hour - PACG Event

Introducing ✋ Hands Off Happy Hour🤚 !
Wednesday, August 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Gender Equity Forum - A Message from the Board

Gender Equity replaces Women's Equity in forum name

SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Op Ed - Women's Equity Forum

SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Op Ed

We Will Not Go Back! rally for Choice in Davenport - Action Alert

We Will Not Go Back! rally - Action Alert
Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm

ACLU of Iowa Meet and Greet - PACG Event

ACLU of Iowa Summer Meet & Greet Events: Davenport Edition
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Introducing the Women's Equity Forum - A Message from the Board

Introducing the PACG Women's Equity Forum

Archives

Categories

MoveOn Women's Rights Election Postcard PartiesMay 4th and 5th at 2 pm

PACG Book Club - Looking for Jane by Heather MarshallMonday, January 15th at 5:15 pm - hybrid meetingEdwards Congregational UCC3420 Jersey Ridge RdDavenport, IA (map)​PACG Book Club

Intersectional Resource FairSaturday, October 7th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Celebrate Quad Cities Women’s Equity DaySaturday, August 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Introducing ✋ Hands Off Happy Hour🤚 ​!Wednesday, August 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Gender Equity replaces Women's Equity in forum name

SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Op Ed

We Will Not Go Back! rally - Action AlertSunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm

ACLU of Iowa Summer Meet & Greet Events: Davenport EditionWednesday, July 6, 2022 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Introducing the PACG Women's Equity Forum

Archives

Categories

MoveOn Women's Rights Election Postcard Parties
May 4th and 5th at 2 pm

PACG Book Club - Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Monday, January 15th at 5:15 pm - hybrid meeting

Edwards Congregational UCC
3420 Jersey Ridge Rd
Davenport, IA (map)

PACG Book Club

Intersectional Resource Fair
Saturday, October 7th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Celebrate Quad Cities Women’s Equity Day
Saturday, August 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Introducing ✋ Hands Off Happy Hour🤚 !
Wednesday, August 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

We Will Not Go Back! rally - Action Alert
Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm

ACLU of Iowa Summer Meet & Greet Events: Davenport Edition
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm