THE PHILADELPHIA WOMEN’S LAW

PROJECT: SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2010

Emily Wiseman

The Mission of the Women's Law Project is to create a more just and equitable society by advancing the rights and status of all women throughout their lives. To this end, we engage in high-impact litigation, advocacy, and education.

The Women’s Law Project

Founded in 1974 Equal Rights Amendment Project, won national attention Work on behalf of reproductive rights:

Represented the plaintiffs in three landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on reproductive freedom

Led the massive, nationwide amicus effort upholding abortion rights in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000

“The Women's Law Project has challenged sex discrimination in employment, education, athletics, and insurance; advanced the rights of lesbian and gay parents; advocated on behalf of impoverished women; worked for fair and accessible procedures in child custody, child support, and protection from abuse actions; and championed the rights of sexual

assault survivors. We take pride in being both a unique resource for Pennsylvania women and a national leader in the field of women's rights.”

Telephone Counseling and Consumer Education Service

Telephone Counselors provide legal information on a range of issues:

Child custody Child Support Divorce and Separation Domestic Violence Employment Problems Physical and Sexual Violence Reproductive Rights Special legal concerns of lesbian and gay

parents Spousal Support

Telephone CounselingDomestic Violence Assistance Project (DVAP)BloggingHealth Care Transition Team: Research summaries, Raising Women’s Voices Coalition Meetings/Projects2010 National NOW Conference: Boston, MA

My Internship

Telephone Counseling

Free, accessible to everyone, thousands of callers annually

Only legal information (not advice) Open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, Intake-style service Separate legal issues from non-legal information Mail literature or direct to website, refer to other

organizations Informs broader work of the organization

Demographic information Identify issues of concern Informs casework

Domestic Violence Assistance Project

Collaboration with Philadelphia Legal Assistance

Help petitioners understand and complete the legal process, prepare for hearings, safety planning

Started in 2008, after discovering that only 26% of petitioners complete the legal process in the county

Obtain information from petitioners in the broader pursuit of finding the main problems and fixing the system

With another intern (from Haverford College), I researched stories and wrote short posts about a variety of issues

Blogging!

A selection of posts that I wrote:

International Parental Leave: What’s the Situation in the United States?

The 50th Anniversary of the Pill Female Candidates Win in Primaries Nun Excommunicated From Catholic Church

for Providing Abortion Service Dating Violence Conference: Upcoming Event Dating Violence Conference: Debrief Preventive Health Services: Will the Birth

Control Pill Make the List?

Health Care Transition Team Attended Raising Women’s Voices

Southeastern Pennsylvania Coalition meetings

Researched and summarized in preparation for a WLP publication: Domestic Violence and Health Care: both

mental and physical short and long term effects

Domestic Violence Prevalence in PA Eating Disorders and Health Insurance

Coverage: How does PA compare in relation to other states?

National NOW Conference: Boston Workshops I attended

America, the Beautiful: Are We Obsessed with Beauty?

Dead Dolls: Female Victims on Primetime TV

Mothers Losing Custody: Courtroom Tactics, Accusations and Tragic Results

Healing from Abuse by Reclaiming Our Bodies

Favorite Speakers Carol Moseley Braun, Kierra Johnson, Amy

Goodman, Susan Douglas

Dabney MillerThe Philadelphia Women’s Law ProjectLeslie RescorlaKatherine Houghton Hepburn Center

THANK YOU!