July 13, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Person: Nina Ahmad at PennsylvaniaNow@gmail.com
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Organization For Women applauds the leadership of Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley in calling for the removal of Wells Fargo Bank as a depository for the over $140 million in taxpayer funds. Public dollars should not be invested or even deposited, in financial institutions that turn around and make campaign contributions to candidates who work against the public interest and in particular the right to choose healthcare and the right to reproductive freedom without governmental interference. We know that Wells Fargo engages in such a practice, using its profits from the Lehigh County deposits to support political candidates who oppose a women’s right to bodily autonomy. Money in politics is contributing to the decay of democracy and corporate influence must be checked, banks shouldn’t be determining whether women can make major healthcare decisions. They should refrain from involving themselves in politics or refuse to support candidates that block popular and widely supported policies. Additionally, we know from experiences of Philadelphia, our Commonwealth’s largest city, that Wells Fargo has not been a good corporate citizen as was pointed out by a member of the Philadelphia City Council after it was brought to light that Wells Fargo had committed acts of malfeasance including defrauding its customers.
We strongly urge the Lehigh County Commissioners and Administration to support the right to freely choose reproductive healthcare by removing Wells Fargo as a County depository. We further urge Lehigh County to as quickly as possible withdraw its taxpayer dollars from Wells Fargo as they have shown total disregard for the welfare of over half our Commonwealth’s population by supporting anti-abortion candidates. Lehigh County could be a leader in starting a movement of municipal governments that turns the tide in the fight to restore abortion rights, pass commonsense gun reform and protect our planet. We need to hold corporate greed accountable.
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Pennsylvania NOW is the Pennsylvania state chapter of the National Organization for Women, the
country’s largest feminist political organization. The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the
nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing
equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating,
mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for
national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its
founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s
rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about PA NOW’s efforts and resources
is available at https://pennsylvanianow.org/.
Read the full article on bloomberg.com that quotes PA NOW President, Dr. Nina Ahmad
