POWER's Demonstration
for Healthcare Justice a SUCCESS! Tuesday
Nov 27th, 4:00 - 4:30PM Monument
Square, Portland, Maine
Organized & sponsored by Portland Organizing to Win Economic
Rights Resources: photos![webpage] | press release
[Word] | flyer
[Word]
Photos courtesy of POWER
member Jenn Barton. SEE MORE PHOTOS!
VIDEO:Watch
POWER's Demonstration for Healthcare Justice!
Larger screen | YouTube | Visit
POWER's
YouTube channel | Google Video | ( TOP
)
THANK
YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US TO RALLY FOR OUR HUMAN RIGHT TO
GUARANTEED UNIVERSAL, SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE!
Healthcare
is a basic human right which all human beings are entitled to,
regardless of income and ability to pay. Yet here in the world's
wealthiest nation, in a country which claims to be a beacon of human
rights for the rest of the world, the reality is that access to this
fundamental human right is in fact based on our ability to
pay. As
a result, millions of us are denied our
human right to healthcare when we can't
afford to pay the price. This includes those who are 'insured' and
those who are not (according to American
Patients for Universal Health Care, since the beginning of the Iraq War
2003, 282,600 U.S.
patients have died as a result of insurance denials).
We
say ENOUGH! We are calling for Universal Single Payer Healthcare - a
healthcare system that includes EVERYONE, that covers ALL of our
healthcare needs, & that takes both the profit & the
profiteers OUT of our healthcare. Because
we shouldn't have to pay a premium for justice Video of this
event is being aired on
our local Community Public Access Television channels 2 & 4.
For
more info please visit: http://ctn4maine.org or call
775-2900. Photos
of
the demonstration. There was a tiny blurb on the
rally in the Portland Phoenix.
Take POWER's HEALTHCARE JUSTICE
SURVEY! To download the survey:
You can take the survey online: www.povertyontrial.org/healthcare_survey.html.
Or you can download a print-able version of the survey, available in Word format: www.povertyontrial.org/power_materials/power_healthcare_survey--2008.doc
[Word format],
and then send in the survey either in the regular mail, or as an email attachment.
Also, one important way you can help by making
copies of this
survey & passing them along to family members, co-workers,
neighbors,
friends - anyone with a healthcare story to share!!! Better yet,
distribute the surveys anywhere where people gather, but especially
doctor's offices, emergency room waiting rooms, DHHS offices,
etc. QUESTIONS? Contact
POWER today! THANK
YOU to everyone who made this event possible!
Q:
Do I have to answer all the questions in
order to take the healthcare survey? --No. Answer as
many or as few questions as you like. Of course, the more you answer,
the more helpful it is for us.
Q:
Can I take the healthcare survey anonymously? --Yes.
Giving contact info is entirely
optional, and any contact information you do provide will be
kept confidential. .
Q:
Are there other ways to take the healthcare survey? --Yes.
A print
version of the survey is available: You can either download it
from our website as a Word
document, or you can contact
POWER with your mailing address and we'll send you a copy of
the survey by mail. An email-able version of the survey is also
available by contacting POWER.
Q:
Do I have to be poor or low-income in order to take
the healthcare survey? --No. Anyone may take the survey
regardless of their economic situation.
Q:
What are economic human rights? --Economic
human rights include our rights to food, housing, healthcare,
living wage jobs,
education, and income for those who need it. These rights are outlined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: for more info click here
or visit
our human
rights page.
Q:
What are some examples of economic human
rights violations? --For example: problems getting
healthcare when you
needed it; struggling to pay your rent or mortgage; working
jobs that don't pay enough to make ends meet; skipping prescriptions
because they were too expensive; taking on student loans you later
can't afford to pay... These are just some of the many examples
of economic human rights violations that millions of us are
experiencing all across the nation.
Q:
How can I help distribute this information to other people?--One
way you can help is by printing out the healthcare survey out
&
making
copies to distribute. To download the printable version of the survey: Healthcare_Survey
--Word format | Healthcare_Survey
--PDF format Or contact
POWER with your
address & we'll send or deliver copies of the
healthcare survey, plus any other materials you'd like to distribute.
THANK YOU!
Conditions
of poverty
represent violations of our economic human rights. As part of the
struggle to end poverty, we're working to document these violations
wherever they occur.
The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a landmark
international treaty signed by the United States in 1948. It
clearly states that economic
human rights are guaranteed to all human
beings.
Economic Human Rights are specified in Articles 23, 25,
& 26
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as outlined below. Or
read the full
text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
More info is also available on our human
rights page.
Article
23:
The right to LIVING
WAGE JOBS,
to safe working conditions, and to form and join unions.
Everyone
has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and
favourable conditions of
work and to protection
against unemployment.
Everyone, without any
discrimination, has the
right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to
just and
favourable
remuneration ensuring for
him/herself and
his/her family an
existence worthy of human dignity,
and supplemented, if
necessary, by other
means of social
protection.
Everyone has the right to form and
to join
trade unions for the protection of
his/her interests.
Article
25:
The right to well-being of a
person and their family, including: HOUSING,
HEALTHCARE,
& FOOD,
CHILDCARE, & SECURITY for all those who are unemployed, unable
to work, or working at home raising
children, or caring for other family members.
Everyone has the right to a standard of
living
adequate for the
health and well-being of
him/herself and of
his or her
family,
including food, clothing, housing
and medical care and
necessary social services, and
the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness,
disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of
livelihood in circumstances beyond
his or her control.
Motherhood and childhood are
entitled to special
care and
assistance. All children,
whether born in or out
of wedlock, shall
enjoy the same social protection.
Article
26:
The right
to EDUCATION,
including higher education & training.
Everyone has the right to education.
Education shall be
free, at
least in the elementary and
fundamental stages.
Elementary
education
shall be compulsory. Technical
and professional
education shall be made generally available and
higher education
shall be equally accessible to
all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full
development
of the human personality and
to
the strengthening of
respect for human
rights and fundamental
freedoms. It shall
promote understanding,
tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and
shall further the activities of the United
Nations for the maintenance of
peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the
kind
of
education that shall be given to their children.