Women's Law Project

The womens Law Project (wlp), a Pennsylvania legal advocacy organization founded in 1974, believes that every person has the right to bodily autonomy, health, economic security, and freedom from violence, and that personal decisions about sexuality and procreation must be protected by the government instead of intruded upon. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion forms the bedrock of wlps programs and operations. A keystone of wlps work is our commitment to work collaboratively with other organizations, both to ensure that all perspectives are brought to bear on solutions and to streamline advocacy efforts, thus rendering them more effective and meaningful. The wlp has been at the forefront on numerous legal and policy initiatives involving reproductive health care, here in Pennsylvania and nationwide, for over four decades. We challenge laws designed to limit or deny access to abortion, including twice before the united states supreme court, and represent abortion care providers in numerous state regulatory matters that arise from the burdensome and unnecessary state regulations designed to limit access to abortion. We provide representation in cases in which pregnant people have been subjected to criminal and other punitive measures related to their pregnancy. Our legal portfolio now provides direct representation to pregnant people who experience discrimination in employment and education, and to minors who are seeking judicial bypasses to have an abortion. Wlp has a substantial portfolio of worker justice advocacy. We provide direct legal representation on employment-based sexual harassment and on employment-based pregnancy discrimination, almost exclusively on behalf of low-income workers. We author amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs on a range of workers justice issues. We provide technical assistance to policy makers on legislation and have assisted in drafting numerous bills related to sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, pay equity, paid sick days, etc. We provide expert testimony at relevant legislative hearings. Wlp engages in numerous initiatives to improve systemic response to domestic and sexual violence, with local and national impact. Wlp brings litigation relating to gender-based violence, authors amicus curiae briefs highlighting the needs of victims, and has authored manuals, judicial desk books, and numerous publications on gender-based violence. Wlp led a reform effort that led to complete reorganization of the philadelphia police department's response to sex crimes, including an unprecedented case review by advocates, which is now a national model. Wlp co-chairs the domestic violence Law enforcement committee (dvlec), which brings together the philadelphia police department, office of the district attorney, with domestic violence, sexual assault, immigrant, and senior citizen service providers, and batterers intervention programs for the specific purpose of coordinating activities to improve victim safety and perpetrator accountability. We provide the legal context for community-based organizations through our extensive social media platform, in-person meetings, developing and sharing talking points on relevant initiatives, participating in conferences, and providing messaging assistance to our allies.