The Philadelphia women’s law Project: Summer Internship 2010

1. The Philadelphia women’s law Project: Summer Internship 2010 Emily Wiseman

2. The Women’s Law Project 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.

3. 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.”

4. 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

5. My Internship Telephone Counseling Domestic Violence Assistance Project (DVAP) Blogging Health Care Transition Team: Research summaries, Raising Women’s Voices Coalition Meetings/Projects 2010 National NOW Conference: Boston, MA

6. 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

10. 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

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

17. 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?

19. 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?

20. 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

21. THANK YOU! Dabney Miller The Philadelphia Women’s Law Project Leslie Rescorla Katherine Houghton Hepburn Center