About ACT

PROPOSITION 4 IS DECEPTIVE AND DANGEROUS
Proposition 4 is a dangerous initiative requiring minors to seek parental notification 48 hours prior to having an abortion. The thing is, as a teenager, I want my parents to be involved and I’m pretty sure they want to be involved in my life. I luckily have approachable parents, but I do know others who don’t. As a matter of fact studies show that 90% of teens include their parents from the beginning. The unfortunate part is that not all teens have a safe home and supportive parents. The government can’t mandate family communication. It just doesn’t work.

Prop 4 is similar to past ballot initiatives in both 2005 and 2006, propositions 73 and 85, which were both defeated. Prop 4 puts our most vulnerable teens at risk. It causes them to seek dangerous alternatives such as self-induced abortions.

Proposition 4 seems to try to accommodate teens with ridiculous loopholes. Teens do have the opportunity to go to a trusted family member BUT, under Prop 4 it requires them to report their parents to authorities for abuse. It also states that a teen can get a judge’s approval instead of seeking family support. When a teen is scared she’s not going to go through a crowded courtroom. Most teens can’t even go to court for a ticket let alone seek approval from a stranger and reveal her personal situation.

Prop 4 is a very deceptive, desperate teens take desperate measures. We want our teens to be safe. So please join me in voting NO on Prop 4 to protect my peers and sisters.

Lisa Alvarado
ACT for Women and Girls intern

• ACT for Women and Girls
• Female Leadership Academy (FLA)
• Central Valley Alliance for Women and Justice (CVAWJ)
• Donate to ACT for Women and Girls

ACT for Women and Girls - Advocacy Coalition of Tulare County for Women and Girls is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization. We are committed to eradicating the oppression that lies deep in the roots of Visalia and its surrounding area. The mission of ACT is to engage women of all ages in leadership opportunities that will promote social and personal change. Through social justice activism, ACT hopes to promote social growth and change among its current population for many years to come. As issues arise that affect women and girls, ACT becomes the catalyst for action. Through its newly created Female Leadership Academy, ACT members educate each other and connect with other groups across the state and nation who are working on the same issue. This year the issue tackled has been women’s reproductive justice and freedom.

ACT began from a Listening Session in Visalia hosted by the Women’s Foundation in February 2003. Over 60 local women from diverse backgrounds came together to discuss issues that mattered to them. The women concluded that Tulare County did not have an advocacy group that focused on women and girls and lacked leadership opportunities that raised their voices loud enough to be heard by policy makers and leaders.

ACT is a grassroots effort to engage women of all ages in leadership opportunities that will promote social and personal change. This work will be accomplished by: (1) building a bridge for rural women to link up to other women; (2) playing a role as a conduit for rural women to take these issues to the next level and affect social change (provide local leadership training opportunities); and (3) to keep the focus at the rural, grassroots level. For more information about ACT, view, ACT for Women and Girls.

ACT contact person: ACT Director- Robyn Flores





Female Leadership Academy (FLA)
The FLA is ACT's primary project. The FLA targets 12-15 young women ages 16-23 years old of all backgrounds. The participants learn about the women's movement, feminism, social justice issues, reproductive health and justice, leadership and so much more! Throughout the 8 month program (beginning in October and ending in May), the young women learn from didactic lectures with guest speakers from a variety of women's advocacy and leadership groups. To learn more about the FLA, view our Female Leadership Academy page.

Central Valley Alliance for Women and Justice (CVAWJ)
CVAWJ is a new project linking California's Central Valley Counties. CVAWJ will discuss the real impact that our votes will have on issues related to access to accurate and confidential health care and identify candidates that are pro-family, pro-child and pro-choice. The Alliance will continue to cultivate pro-choice women leaders to engage networks and policy makers at the local, state and national level to take action that is favorable to the mission on the Alliance. To learn more, view our CVAWJ link.

Donate to ACT for Women and Girls

All contributions are greatly appreciated and they are tax deductible.
Please send them to or feel free to utilize our online paypal service:
PO BOX 3533
Visalia, CA 92378