WE Call BS: Feb. 11th-18th

Happy belated Valentine's Day Teen Resisters! We are ready to hop in this week with some super important issues.

What went down:

Shooting in Florida: On February 14th, a gunman opened fire on a high school near Miami, Florida. The gunman was a former student of the school. At least 17 people died, although the toll may rise. The shooter obtained his gun legally and had ties to a white supremacist group who says he trained with them. Since the shooting, we've seen amazing mobilization by youth across the country, particularly by the exceptional survivors of the shooting, many of whom have suffered from PTSD or panic attacks since the shooting. One thing is for sure: America NEEDS gun control now. Politicians continue to be bought out by the NRA and put an out-of-context amendment before American lives. It ends now. TEENS: This is our moment!! Seize the day and continue to fight. We need it. We must demand that assault weapons be banned in the US; that a 19 year old is not legally able to buy a gun; to put resources into protecting Americans; to make better background checks. Because our lives are worth it. We're sure you've seen a ton of things in your social media feeds about this. So act!
What you can do: Walk out of school on March 14th! On the 14th, Women's March is organizing a nationwide school walkout. From 10-10:17am across time zones, students and teachers will leave classrooms to demand that school shootings end. RSVP to your school's walkout, or create one, here.
- Attend the March for Lives: March 24th. DC and every major city. Teens will demand gun control now.
Call your Reps!! You guys. We say it a lot. But it rings true each and every time. Flood them with calls, emails and letters. Demand their biggest fight.
Number: 844-241-1141; Script: Hi, my name is ______ and I'm calling from _____. As a student/constituent, I want to demand action and voting on gun control in the wake of the recent shooting. Enough is enough. Please push for a ban on semiautomatic rifles, stricter background check laws and filling in loopholes that allow so many Americans to be killed by guns. I hope that you will value children's lives over a gun lobby and vote conscience over party. Thank you.
Sign this petition! (1 MINUTE): Click here.
Text RESIST to 504-09.
Support EVERYTOWN in their action efforts: Click here to see their voting campaign THROW THEM OUT; here for their action list.
And last but not least: Never be silent. You are the future, we are the future. xx

The victims of the Florida shooting

New HHS Religious Freedom Division:
On January 18th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created a new division called the Division of Conscience and Moral Freedom.  This division will protect the rights of health care workers to discriminate on the basis of moral, religious, or other personal objections.  Essentially, what this means is that healthcare workers will be able to refuse all services just because a patient has had an abortion, is transgender, or is part of the LGBTQ+ community.  
To put this into perspective, here are a few examples of what could happen (and probably has already happened) because of these new protections.  A fertility doctor could refuse help to a lesbian couple; a patient who has had an abortion could be refused treatment for a life-threatening disease; HIV patients could be refused help; any LGBTQ+ patients at all could be turned away at the door.
The creation of this new division rolls back Obama-era rules that prevented discrimination on the basis of being transgender or having had an abortion.  As always, the sheer ignorance and bias of all responsible for perpetuating the new rules is remarkable.  HHS Secretary Eric Hargan commented on the division’s creation: “For too long too many of these health care practitioners have been bullied and discriminated against because of their religious beliefs and moral conviction.”  
Well, we here at Teens Resist say to Secretary Hargan: What about the real responsibility of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is to ensure that everyone receives access to quality, life-saving healthcare?
What you can do to help:
Submit a comment here to HHS telling them to provide health care instead of encouraging discrimination.  ​

Eric Hargan

DACA: We know we've said a lot about this every week, but action is so necessary about this. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act): No matter how you've heard of this program, you've surely seen it popping up in your social media feeds in these recent weeks. It is an imperative program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children (under 16). Known as DREAMers, these people (some of whom are now in their 20s and have children) are able to get jobs and financial aid for college as well as live without fear of being deported. They have grown up here and have known no other home. All of the benefits DACA provides will be no more if, come March, DACA is repealed. While Trump's immigration proposal somewhat ensures these rights (despite corrupt requirements), there are many other flaws with the proposal put forth by the GOP last month, primarily extreme laws pertaining to deportation and family sponsorship. However, a clean Dream Act is in the works. A bipartisan bill, it will work to make sure that DACA recipients have an easy path to citizenship, and in the meantime, won't live in fear of deportation. We need to be pushing this bill right now-- time is running out. Call your reps- whether they be Democrat or Republican-- and tell them to back DACA with all their might.
What you can do: Sign this petition by clicking here (LESS THAN 1 MINUTE). Have more time? Call your reps (NY RESIDENTS: Please call or email Senator Chuck Schumer, who has been somewhat spineless about the act over these past few weeks):
Number: 202-224-3121
Script: Hi, my name is ______ and I'm a constituent. I'm calling to ask that Senator/Representative _______ back a clean DREAM Act with all their might and refuse to cave to President Trump's extremist anti-immigrant proposals. Young immigrants have a place here, and the focus should be on reforming our immigration process to include easier paths to citizenship rather than attacking people who benefit American society and economy. Please take my thoughts into consideration as you go forth into this new year of lawmaking. Thank you.

NOTE: Net Neutrality still needs defense! Click here. Very teen oriented issue!!
ALSO: Youth Progressive Policy Group is doing work to lower the voting age in New York and represent youth in the political process. Check out their website to attend events or receive updates on the immensely important work they do.

VINE COMPILATION OF THE WEEK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoJTZZBKOf4

All of our love, peace, power and confidence:
Teens Resist