Oppose the Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 3541)
Advocacy Letter - 12/05/11
Source: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Recipient: House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution
Dear Members of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of over 200 organizations dedicated to ending discrimination in all aspect of American life, we urge you to oppose H.R. 3541, the “Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2011.” We oppose this bill because it does not in any way address sex and race discrimination, nor does it do anything to combat it. Rather, it is a veiled attempt to restrict healthcare for women of color under the guise of civil rights.
On December 1, Rep. Trent Franks, who has a dismal record on civil rights, introduced PRENDA in the House of Representatives.. Rep. Franks has consistently voted against important bills that would, unlike this bill, actually alleviate sex or race discrimination, such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law by President Obama as well as the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. For these reasons, Rep. Franks received a “zero” civil rights score in The Leadership Conference’s most recent Voting Record.
Women and their families continue to bear the negative consequences of persistent sex and race discrimination. Yet, despite its lofty title, H.R. 3541 does nothing to address the pernicious effects of such discrimination. As the nation’s largest civil and human rights coalition, we have worked for decades to address the longstanding problems of racial and sex discrimination in the United States. While we would welcome the opportunity to work with members of the subcommittee to advance meaningful civil rights legislation, we must strongly oppose H.R. 3541, which does nothing to address ongoing discrimination.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Wade Henderson
President & CEO
Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President
