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Baby Safe Haven Law: Save Two Lives Campaign
PCSWNews O
Connecticut General Assembly
Where we’ve been lately...
ver the last two months, Executive Director Carolyn Treiss
spoke to the Hartford Area Business
Economists (HABE) on the Status
of Women in Connecticut’s Workforce
HB 6932: Bill to establish paid family and medical Leave
report (3/12); at the Harriet Beecher
continues to work its way through the legislative proStowe Center on women’s rights as
cess and gain public support; SB 428: to protect unpaid
human rights (3/26); to the annual
interns from sexual harassment, receiving a unanimous,
meeting of ConnSACS (4/9); and to
bi-partisan vote out of the Senate, now awaits a vote
UConn’s Humphreys Institute for
in the House of Representatives before being sent to
Political Social Work (4/11), at which
the Governor; HB 5848: to provide training for women
re-entering the workforce advances; HB 6498: to strength- Senior Legislative Analyst Jillian
en sexual assault evidence collection, has been sent to the Gilchrest was also a panelist. Treiss
House; SB 904: to expand disability benefits to female vet- will speak to the AAUW’s annual
conference on April 25.
erans, garnered bi-partisan vote out of the Senate, awaits
a vote in the House of Representatives before being sent
to the Governor; HB 5500: to expand fertility coverage for Communications Director Christine
Palm spoke on women’s rights at Lauthose diagnosed with cancer, continues to make its way
relton High in Milford (4/8); at Eastthrough the legislative process; SB 650 and HB 6848: to
expand protections for victims of domestic violence; will ern CT State University (4/15); and
at CCSU (4/20). And Jillian Gilchrest
ensure that if a judge determines a victim is in imminent danger and grants a temporary restraining order, all spoke at a UCONN rally/press
firearms will be removed from the individual being served conference on Affirmative Consent in
with the temporary restraining order. As required by cur- campus sexual assault cases (3/27).
rent law, a hearing will occur within two weeks to grant a
...and don’t miss these.
full restraining order.
Apr. 23-26: HeartBeat Ensemble’s
system
“Gross Domestic Product” workshop production and discussion;
Legislators, advocates and representatives of the federal
Carriage House Theater, Hartford;
government gathered on March 10 to explore a viable
various times.
system of paid family and medical leave in Connecticut. Left to right at Paid Leave Roundtable: U.S. Con- Apr. 23: “Conversations with Exgresswoman Rosa DeLauro; Deputy Secretary of Labor traordinary Women”
with Teresa Younger, Ms. Foundation
Christopher Lu; Sen. Ed Gomes; Sen. Mae Flexer;
for Women, and others; Matrix Conf.
Gretchen Raffa, Planned Parenthood of Southern New
Center, Danbury; 5-8 p.m.
England; Lori Pelletier, AFL-CIO; Catherine Bailey,
Apr. 24: “Stand Against Racism”
CWEALF; Carolyn Treiss, PCSW; Michele Mudrick,
community breakfast gathering sponUCC; and Isa Mujahid, paid leave advocate. Since
women are still the primary caregivers in most families, sored by the Hartford Region YWCA;
Broad Street, Hartford; 7:30- 9 a.m.
paid family and medical leave would greatly enhance
their economic security by allowing them to earn a pay- Apr. 30: “Reproductive Rights After
Griswold v. CT” 50-year retrocheck during the time they must take extended leave
spective, co-sponsored by the Amerto care for a newborn or an adopted child, their own
ican Association for the History of
healthcare crisis, or that of a loved one.
Medicine, and Planned Parenthood
of Southern New England; Omni
www.ctpcsw.com
Ballroom, New Haven; 5-7 p.m.
Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
April 2015
Bills on women’s issues advance
T
he PCSW is part of a non-partisan, public/private partnership
to spread the word about Connecticut’s Safe Havens Law, which
has saved the lives of two dozen infants since its passage in 2000.
Communications Director Christine Palm designed the poster and
logo being used to educate the public about this simple, effective law,
through which anyone may drop off a newborn (under 30 days old) at
any hospital emergency room, rather than risk jail time for abandonment or a more serious charge. Shown at March 2 press conference to
announce annual Safe Haven Day (April 2), unveiling poster and logo
is Rep. Melissa Ziobron, who serves on the working group along with
Sen. Cathy Osten, Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, Rep. Gayle Mulligan, and
former Rep. Pam Sawyer. Visit CT Safe Havens’ Facebook page HERE.
Roundtable of diverse voices explores Paid Family and Medical Leave