ForceChange - Petition to Change Your World

Protect Endangered Beluga Whales from Harmful Oil Exploration Methods

Recently, four groups jointly filed a lawsuit against further petroleum exploration in Alaska’s Cook Inlet in an effort to protect the endangered beluga whale population. The high intensity seismic methods used in oil exploration presents a deadly obstacle to the survival of these whales and must be stopped before it is allowed to begin.

Protect Livestock from Extreme Confinement in Rhode Island

There is a bill being presented to the Rhode Island State Senate which will ban the use of extreme confinement practices for veal calves and breeding pigs. Many farms raising these animals use crates that are designed to keep them from moving. Urge Rhode Island to join the eight other states that have already banned this cruel practice.

End Beating and Rape of Detained Congolese Migrants in Angola

In Angola, Congolese migrants face sexual violence and mistreatment during expulsions. The jails are overcrowded, the migrants have a lack of food, water and sanitation facilities and women are raped in front of their children. Sign this petition, demanding the Angolan government investigate the conditions of Congolese migrants and take proper steps to improve their conditions and prosecute perpetrators.

Ban Misleadingly-Branded High-SPF Sunscreens

Sunscreen may be essential for protecting your skin against the sun’s damaging UV rays, but studies have shown that products with an SPF above 50 provide no additional benefit. In fact, higher SPFs encourage consumers to endanger their health by leading them to believe they can spend longer in the sun without reapplying sunscreen. Ask the FDA to ban misleading high-SPF sunscreens.

Don’t Let Las Cruces Shut Off Residents’ Utilities Over Unpaid Traffic Tickets

An unpaid speeding or red light ticket shouldn’t be justification for leaving those impoverished citizens out in the cold. But a recent decision made by the Las Cruces city council means that the city’s poorest residents could be seeing their utilities shut off over lingering traffic citations. Tell city officials that you won’t stand for their extortion of the poor by signing this petition.

Protect the Rights of Crime Victims in Illinois

Victims of crime are often left with a feeling of having very little control over their lives after they are assaulted. Much of this is due to their experience with police and the judicial system. A new law would expand the rights of victims of crime in Illinois; however, the bill was recently rejected by the Illinois House of Representatives. We must make the Illinois House aware of our support for the law, and ask them to reconsider it.

Don’t Allow Tennessee High School to Censor Pro-LGBT Messages

When the assistant principal of Hardin County High School cancelled pride week and prohibited the display of all pro-LGBT messages, he created an excessively hostile academic environment–one that validates anti-gay bullying and threatens the safety of queer students. Tell the district’s superintendent that this kind of anti-gay censorship is unethical and won’t be tolerated.

Help Families in Haiti Still Facing Hardships After 2010 Earthquake

Two years after the earthquake in Haiti, families are still struggling. In one camp, families were forcibly evicted and are living without drinking water, sanitation services and water disposal. Sign this petition, asking the Prime Minister of Haiti to demand an investigation and improve condition for these struggling families.

Stop Political Killings in Burundi: Prevent Another Civil War

Since the end of 2010, countless people have been killed in political attacks in Burundi, a small African nation bordering Rwanda. The government has failed to protect its citizens in these political attacks, and justice continues to be denied to the families of murder victims. The Burundi President and the ruling governmental parties must stop this political violence before another civil war, or worse, genocide ensues.

Hold High School Accountable for Showing Students Anti-Abortion Propaganda Film

Students at Wagoner High School in Oklahoma were shown an anti-choice film without any parental consent. In addition, the impressionable teenagers received copies of the DVDs to bring home and share. Tell Superintendent Marte Thompson that immediate action must be taken against the high school employees who allowed this film to air in classrooms.

Stop the Release of Upcoming Film “Chernobyl Diaries”

The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear explosion occurring in Western Europe. Millions were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation, millions were displaced, and thousands of children since then were born with horrific defects, congenital heart disease, and cancer. We ask that FilmNation Entertainment stop the release of ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ out of respect to the victims of the incident.

Tell U.S. Car Manufacturers To Boycott Steel Linked to Rainforest Destruction

You wouldn’t necessarily think of the automotive industry as a culprit in global deforestation, but a new report indicates that Ford and General Motors purchase steel made with illegally logged timber from the Amazon rainforest. Demand that these car companies take a stand against environmental destruction by boycotting steel made with this illegally sourced charcoal.

Include More Women in AIDS Research

Although women make up a quarter of the 1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., they are drastically underrepresented in clinical trials. It’s incredibly important to test new treatments on both men and women, as women may react differently to medications. Tell U.S. AIDS research foundations to expand their outreach efforts to more women so everyone may gain new knowledge and understanding of this disease.

Local Indian Government Must End Mistreatment Of Peaceful Protestors

Peaceful protestors in southern India face multitudes of false charges and a police blockade inhibiting departure or entry into their village. Construction of a nuclear power plant has led local villagers to demand a voice in the building process to ensure the health and safety of their people and their environment. The government must listen to the voice of its citizens on this matter.

Discourage the Consumption of Bottled Water

The market for bottled water is exceedingly high: $7.7 billion dollars were spent on bottled water in 2007 alone. Bottled water is not safer or healthier than tap water, and it is certainly not as friendly for our environment. Implement strategies that deter bottled water consumption in your own home, and urge your workplace, school and community to do the same.

Save Anti-Whaling Activist from Extradition

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is actively protesting the extradition of their president to Costa Rica on politically motivated charges. Extradition would place him in serious danger and should be opposed. By expressing our support for the Sea Shepherd’s position and calling for the release of Captain Watson, we will uphold his longstanding efforts to expose and monitor illegal fishing and whaling operations around the world.

Continue Offering Health Insurance to University Students

Rather than comply with federal mandates to cover contraception, Catholic universities are beginning to forgo offering insurance coverage to students altogether. Students would be forced to find their own plans or pay out of pocket for health care. Urge these universities to find a way to provide health coverage to students rather than eliminating it altogether.

Stop Needlessly Testing Tobacco Products On Animals

Tobacco companies cruelly test their products on animals by forcing them to smoke mass amounts of cigarettes through masks and tubes, only to kill these animals and use their damaged organs for research purposes. Tell the FDA that this research is inhumane and unnecessary, and animals should not have to pay for tobacco companies looking to deny smoking’s well-established link to cancer.

Insist on Higher Protection for Australia’s Coral Sea

Last year the Australian government released a marine park proposal to protect the Coral Sea. Although the plan bans mining and trawling in the entire area, it fails to protect 90% of the region’s coral reefs. We must insist that Australia expand the marine national park zones to truly protect all areas and ecosystems of the Coral Sea.

Make Indefinite Detentions Illegal and Punishable Under the Law

Indefinite detention provisions are currently utilized by the American government to allow for the imprisoning of people without charge or trial. We must stand up and reject the codifying of indefinite detention into our system of law; please sign this petition to ask Obama to reject indefinite detention and begin a legislative push back against this egregious practice.

Urge the U.S. Government to Collaborate on Issues Concerning Women’s Safety

Violence against women is an issue that is very tangible considering the volume of crimes that specifically target women. The government is well aware of this and has, in the past, passed a bill which aims to protect women’s rights and deter violence against the female gender. This same bill has, as of yesterday, grudgingly passed through the U.S. House of Representative and is now on to the Senate who has many differing views concerning the act: rather than needlessly debating the bill, the House and Senate must find common ground and pass the bill as quickly as possible.

Protect Prisoners and Immigration Detainees from Sexual Assault

The prominence of sexual abuse within the U.S. prison system reveals the urgent need for reform: an estimated one in ten former state adult prisoners reports being sexually victimized by staff or other prisoners during their confinement. Although the Department of Homeland Security is cracking down on prison rape, we must pressure officials to include immigration detainees in their protection measures.

Integrate Yoga into Chicago Public School Systems

The Chicago Public School system faces many issues of truancy, violence and general misbehavior: these issues are both a result of, and aggravated by, the social and economic status of many Chicago families. Yoga is a practice that is physically stimulating, mentally and emotionally calming, and proven to have benefits for troubled children. With truancy rates in schools and crime rates in the city on the rise, it is time that we take action at the very root of the issue by bringing yoga to Chicago Public Schools.

Tell Republicans not to Threaten another Government Shutdown

In 2011, Democrats and Republicans came to an agreement over raising the debt ceiling. Until now, both parties had held to their agreement but recent comments by Republican leadership have signaled that they may renege on this deal. Demand that the Republican leadership not go back upon their word and obstruct the debt ceiling increase, thus risking the economic recovery.

Protect the Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is in need of protective measures regarding a growing pollution problem. Fish caught in the river are showing signs in the form of lesions, dark spots, and other maladies. Ask the Senate to declare the river impaired, thus opening the way to legislative protection.

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