Posted on 04/12/2011 2:00:49 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
NOW Stands Strong at Rally for Women's Health
April 12, 2011
On April 7, thousands of activists flooded Capitol Hill. The "Stand Up for Women's Health" rally and lobby day was organized to demonstrate that conservative attacks on women's access to reproductive health care will not be tolerated. The event was timed to coincide with the federal government's budget negotiations, which could have terrible consequences for women's health if the right wing gets its way.
At the rally, women's rights leaders, celebrities and members of Congress urged the crowd to raise their voices in outrage against the "war on women." Women and men of all ages attended the event, many of whom traveled by bus from numerous states to show their support for continued funding for family planning services (through Title X), including contraception and screenings for cancer, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, and reproductive justice for all.
Speakers included Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). NOW Membership Vice President Allendra Letsome was also present on stage, the Capitol building serving as a dramatic backdrop.
Boxer told the crowd that the Republicans had awoken "a sleeping giant" in the U.S. with their anti-woman agenda. Speakers stated that it was time to fight back against those trying to push women's health care back to the 19th century.
Many speakers acknowledged that they had stood on the same lawn in front of the Capitol in the 1970s and 80s to support Roe v. Wade and were distressed that almost 40 years later, women's health and reproductive rights are still under threat.
Among the celebrities who attended were Connie Britton, Ed Harris and "Sex and the City"'s David Eigenberg, who insisted: "What we are here today for is not controversial. It's about common sense and common decency."
Women took to the stage to share personal stories about the care they received from Planned Parenthood clinics, which likely saved their lives. Various women explained, some with tears, that without Planned Parenthood they would have received no treatment at all for breast cancer, cervical cancer, family planning and HIV testing.
As soon as the rally ended, activists took over the Hill. A sea of people in pink shirts waited in line at every Senate and House building, equipped with materials and compelling talking points. NOW staff and interns who attended the day's events report that reproductive justice advocates took the Hill by storm and left a significant impression.
Even with a looming government shutdown, activists stood their ground and fought to ensure that Planned Parenthood and other clinics would continue to receive funding that for decades enjoyed bipartisan support. Activists thanked those on our side and questioned staffers who claimed their representative or senator supported family planning yet would not sign-on to a letter submitted by Senator Boxer.
While the enthusiasm on display was encouraging, the fight for women's health is far from over. We must continue to lobby our lawmakers to ensure that women's voices are heard. It is more important than ever to stand with NOW and support women's access to the full range of reproductive health care.
View photos from the rally on NOW's Facebook page and videos on NOW's YouTube channel.
I'm all for women's health.
It's the shredded fetuses I'm having the hard time with.
We pissed off the Dykes?
The dykes on the bykes!
All 6 of the lesbos showed up?
Let's accelerate de-populating liberals.
Dykes on Bykes? Yikes.
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