News Archive

By Esther Bird

As the news from yesterday, June 22, 2022, the United States Supreme Court has ruled to throw out Roe v. Wade. The right for women to make decisions regarding their healthcare is changing and affecting the rights of women around our country. Whether you agree with this decision or not, I wanted to address the issue in this venue.

Our organization believes in equal rights for all people, with a strong focus on women. Personally, I’ve lived long enough to know what the situation was like for women prior to the 1973 decision. With Roe v. Wade in 1973, personal friends of mine have had to make this difficult decision and their actions were both legal and safe. This is now changed. It’s done.

So what happens next?

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday said landmark high court rulings that established gay rights and contraception rights should be reconsidered now that the federal right to abortion has been revoked.

The cases he mentioned are Griswold vs. Connecticut, the 1965 ruling in which the Supreme Court said married couples have the right to obtain contraceptives; Lawrence v. Texas, which in 2003 established the right to engage in private sexual acts; and the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which said there is a right to same-sex marriage.

Thomas’ recommendation to reconsider that trio of decisions does not have the force of legal precedent, nor does it compel his colleagues on the Supreme Court to take the action he suggested.

But it is an implicit invitation to conservative lawmakers in individual states to pass legislation that might run afoul of the Supreme Court’s past decisions, with an eye toward having that court potentially reverse those rulings.

We are stronger together.

A few ideas to show your support this month:

1.  Write a letter to a woman who made an impact on your life.
2. Celebrate strong female leaders.
3. Support women-owned local businesses.
4. Get to know women in politics.
5. Read books by female authors
6. Support a non-profit organization serving women.

by Karin Drury

l to r: Carol Kouba - Scholarship Committee, Esther Bird - Scholarship Committee, Dr. Karen Helmick - Scholarship Chair, Elizabeth Soto - Scholarship Recipient, Karin Drury - Scholarship Committee, Natalie Bloom - Scholarship Committee

The Business Women of Englewood and Venice (BPWEV) awarded 4 Adult Learner Scholarships this year. Elizabeth Soto, one of the recipients, attended the June 15, 2021 BPWEV dinner meeting. Ms. Soto is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Psychology and is attending Walden University in an on-line program.The other 3 recipients of the Christine Davis Adult Learner Scholarships will be attending the July meeting. BPWEV meets every third Tuesday of each month at Plantation Golf and Country Club. The public is invited to attend all meetings.

For information and dinner reservations visit: www.bpwev.org

The organization believes strongly in Women Helping Women and awards each year Adult Learner Scholarships to women in Sarasota and Charlotte County.