Resolution 130887

..Title Honoring and Congratulating the Women's Law Project on its 40th Anniversary. ..Body WHEREAS, Since opening its doors in 1973, the Women's Law Project has been at the vanguard of the battle against gender discrimination, violence, and injustice; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project utilizes three primary strategies - high impact litigation, public policy advocacy, and community education - to forge an extensive and impressive track record of legal precedents, policy reforms, direct service, and collaborations to improve the rights, safety, and security of women and their families, particularly those who have few resources and little political power; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project provided the impetus for the building of the new unified Family Court building in Philadelphia after the publication of Justice in the Domestic Relations Division of the Philadelphia Family Court: A Report to the Community, which described the challenges and troubling conditions in the Family Court; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project has advocated successfully for a better law enforcement response to sexual violence, working with the Philadelphia Police Department to improve its handling of sex crimes, providing a model for the nation; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project has been the catalyst for updating the federal definition of rape in the Uniform Crime Report, leading to an expanded and more accurate definition of rape; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project is the leading legal advocate for gender equity in athletics in Pennsylvania, and has represented female athletes throughout the state wishing to play sports, which has led to an increase in the number of opportunities for girls to play sports in secondary schools and universities; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project has been a leader in protecting women's reproductive rights, through representation of independent clinics and abortion providers and through advocacy on behalf of vulnerable women who have been denied access to reproductive choice, and by bringing together like-minded groups across the state to work together to advance reproductive rights; and WHEREAS, The Women's Law Project leads advocacy for fundamental change on dozens of issues that touch women and their families; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors and celebrates The Women's Law Project on its 40th Anniversary as a leading advocate for women, creating a more just and equitable society by advancing the rights and status of all women throughout their lives. FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Carol E. Tracy, Executive Director of the Women's Law Project as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. ..End