PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND FIGHTS FOR HEALTH AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF CONNECTICUT FAMILIES

(New Haven, Conn.) – In recognition of National Equal Pay Day on April 12, 2016, PPSNE is urging lawmakers to support public policies that will improve the health and economic well-being of women and families in Connecticut. A new study of Census Bureau data from the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) shows that, based on today’s median wage gap, women can expect to lose more than $430,000 over the course of a 40-year career compared to what the typical white man makes during the same time period. For African American women, the gap grows to more than $877,000 and for Latinas; it is over $1 million.

“It is time to close the gender gap to ensure women get equal pay for equal work. We must work to pass policies that ensure families in Connecticut will have the resources they need to thrive,” said Kafi Rouse, Vice President of Public Relations & Marketing with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “Every person deserves the right to a livable wage that enables them to care for themselves and their family with dignity. Women and mothers are essential economic contributors to their families’ economic security and their state’s economy.”

During this legislative session, PPSNE is also working in partnership with community members and advocates in a fight for a state-organized Paid Family Leave system for all workers. We are also working on bills to increase the minimum and tipped minimum wages, and to end taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products.

PPSNE is also proud member of the CT Fair Chance Coalition, the group working to pass fair hiring policy legislation, also known as Ban the Box Legislation. PPSNE knows that policies and practices that bar individuals from obtaining employment negatively affects the entire family. According to the Center for American Progress, half of the children living in the U.S. have a parent or guardian that has some sort of criminal record.

“The laws currently on the books disproportionately impacts women and we continue to fight for tax equity and fairness,” Rouse said. “These issues impact the health and well-being of families. All people deserve access and opportunities to provide for themselves and their families in order to realize true reproductive freedom.”

As the region’s leading women’s health care provider and advocate, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England knows firsthand why it’s so critical that all people have access to a comprehensive range of reproductive health care services and the United States is an equitable and just place for all.

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Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is one of the region’s largest providers of family planning and reproductive health care services. Since 1923, PPSNE has evolved into an organization with 18 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, delivering care to nearly 70,000 patients annually, and 90 percent of the services provided are preventive.