From: NOW
Urgent: Please Call Your House Member by C.O.B. Today!

Urge her or him to vote in favor of save and effective contraceptives! July 13, 2004 Action Needed:

We just received a call from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) asking for our help on an important vote that has been scheduled, at the last minute, in the U.S. House of Representatives this afternoon. This amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill, HR 4766, is in response to the Food and Drug Administration's recent decision not to give over-the-counter status to Plan B emergency contraception: It simply requires the FDA to do the job it is supposed to do -- make a decision based on science, not politics. Because the vote is scheduled to take place this afternoon, Eastern time, your call may be the only one your representative receives from their home district. We know that many of you will not even see this message until the vote is over, so if you receive this message before the late afternoon, Eastern time, please pick up the phone and call your House member. Look up your House member's direct dial phone number here:www.now.org/congress/dbq/officials/.

Rest assured that your member of Congress won't be on the phone; you will speak to a staffer who is taking messages. When you get that staffer on the phone, please urge them to let your Congressmember know of your concerns. Here's a sample of what you might say: "Hi, I'm calling Congressmember [insert name here] about an amendment that is expected to come up this afternoon. I hope you can get the message to him/her that I strongly urge her/him to take politics out of the FDA's deliberations by supporting the Maloney/Waxman amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill, HR 4766. This amendment ensures that the FDA will not deprive American women of safe and effective contraceptives on ideological grounds. Please vote "yes" on the Maloney/Waxman amendment. A vote in favor of this amendment requires the FDA to simply do its job and make www.now.org/congress/dbq/officials/
Thank you for your quick action on this important issue!