I am a member of a group called MomsRising.org. I haven’t participated much beyond signing petitions at this point. But that’s the beauty of MomsRising.org. You do what you can do. They are working moms dedicated to the true issues of motherhood and making sure that women and children are taken care of. With all of the recent toy recalls, I’ve been receiving a slew of emails asking for petition signatures, etc. I am sharing the most recent email with you in the hopes that you will sign and pass it on to another mom and so on and so forth. It’s ridiculous that we now have the added stress of wondering if the toy that’s been sold to us as “safe” is really safe or not. And NOW they’re saying there’s lead in baby bibs too? Come on! When will this stop?!??! Someone somewhere needs to take responsibility and we need to rise up and demand truly safe toys for our children!

Here’s the email I received:

Dear MomsRising Member,

Is it just me, or are you starting to get freaked out about all these toy recalls too? Just yesterday, I sat down for a peaceful breakfast (well, as peaceful as you can get with a Cheerio food fight going on), and on the front page of the New York Times there was an announcement of yet another massive recall of toys–and in the Business Section there was a story about lead in bibs for babies. What’s next?

This must stop! There are already over 15,000 signatures on our “No Toxics in Toys” petition from last week. Let’s double that number. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) needs the tools and authority to ensure our children’s safety. We can provide Congress with the political capital they need to pass legislation that stops toxic toys.

SIGN THE PETITION & SEND IT TO 5 FRIENDS: Help us build a massive national movement that can’t be ignored. Sign the petition at: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/signUp.jsp?key=2362

*Once you’ve signed the petition, please forward this email to friends, family, your book group, coworkers, school and sports lists, and favorite Big Bird fan. Let’s make a strong statement together by getting as many signers as possible. 

*Please forward this email to friends and family!

THE LOWDOWN: CPSC is an under-funded agency with an outdated regulatory authority. It needs the resources and authority to keep our children safe. It’s time to pass legislation to make sure CPSC can do its job to keep dangerous products out of our homes. Congress can take several steps to keep children safe:
1) Give real teeth and authority to CPSC to keep toxics out of toys and set firm toxic limits (since there are only guidelines now);
2) Create a third-party testing system and increase the fines for those companies who put toxics in toys;
3) Fully fund the CPSC, which has had a stagnant budget since 2005, so it can enforce the laws;
4) Increase staffing at CPSC since their current staffing is at its lowest level since the 1980s;
5) Give authority to quickly release safety warnings about imminent hazards without manufacture approval.Two recently introduced bills in the Senate propose to do just this. Let’s make sure that Congress hears our strong support for this legislation. Our children need safe products NOW.

You can find the petition at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/signUp.jsp?key=2362

Together, we can keep our kids safe from dangerous toxic products and focus on more important things, like protecting them from flying Cheerios.Best –Donna, Katie, Joan, Mary, Kristin, and the MomsRising Team