League of Women Voters of Darlington County
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
“The world will be saved by the western woman.”
~ Dalai Lama, delivered during the Vancouver Peace Summit 2009
The small group of women that gather each month from across Darlington County are too humble to accept such accolades, but after watching them in action the past three years I tend to agree with the Dalai Lama…. these women are hard workers.
Sheila Haney
Photo by Jana E. Pye
The women are a part of the grassroots organization that is located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
By definition, they are nonpartisan, and do not support nor endorse political parties or candidates. Instead, they work as advocates to influence public policy through education and advocacy, hoping to achieve solutions in the public interest on key community issues at all government levels.
In the October meeting, the small group discussed proposals to improve aspects of the nation’s health care system that will be forwarded to the state level and later shared at the national level with all groups.
For background, at the LWVSC Convention on April 26th, 2015 delegates voted to conduct a Study (2015-17) of healthcare in support of development of state-level positions for advocacy. Since our needs and experience with healthcare may be vastly different a series of Healthcare Conversations around the state were held and coordinated by members of the Healthcare Caucus which met at the Convention.
The reason for the study was given as:
• 1,000-1,300 South Carolinians will die in the coming year due to a failure to expand
• Medicaid services. The governor has vowed never to expand the program.
• The state remains medically underserved with fragmented care. Unlike some issues advocated by the League, healthcare touches every citizen in the most personal way.
• Medical care costs continue to climb faster that wages. The current trajectory is unsustainable. Current plans, including the ACA, will not arrest soaring prices.
• Reproductive rights
The group has also taken on other projects locally, such as advocating for low cost transportation for the community with Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA) working with the Florence County League to help with advocacy for the public bus system.
This month, the League of Women Voters of Darlington County will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17 at St. Luke United Methodist Church, 302 Dunlap Drive, Hartsville, to watch the film “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA.”
The event is free and open to the public.
The League does not call for taking guns away from responsible, informed gun owners. Nationally, the LWV believes we must protect public health and welfare from abuse by those who are not responsible or informed, and that federal and state laws must be enacted to provide this protection.
To join the LWV in Darlington County, contact Sheila Haney at: 843-332-6468.