Rally for Health

By Liz Wing and Laura Duncan on 04/07/2011 @ 04:08 PM

We just got back from the Rally for Health organized by Planned Parenthood and its supporters. Standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building, women and men gathered to hear from members of Congress, actors, civil society leaders and brave women who shared with us how Planned Parenthood had saved their lives.

Opening the event were Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, and Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. Also speaking at the rally were Representatives Louise Slaughter, Rosa DeLauro and Diana DeGette, and Senators Frank Lautenberg, Patty Murray and Chuck Schumer. We also heard from Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and actors David Eigenberg and Connie Britton.

We heard from Anthony D. Romero, the President of the ACLU, who said “I care about contraception because it keeps us healthy. I care about the fact that my sister and my nieces should have the right to choose if and when they have a child. Because guess what? At the base of it - WE control our bodies.” Also speaking at the event was the actress Amy Madigan and her husband Ed Harris. Amy shared with us the reasons why she fights for women’s right to choose: “I am old enough and I can admit it, that I was around pre Roe v. Wade. There was a time when young women didn't go to their parents or their friends or their doctors. Women went underground. I tell you - we will never ever go back to that situation again.”

Senator Barbara Boxer spoke to the crowd about her efforts in Congress to guarantee that Planned Parenthood continues receiving the funds it needs to provide family planning, cancer screenings and other health care services for women. Sixty votes are required to pass a bill in the Senate, and 41 votes stop reckless legislation in its tracks. Today Senator Boxer and her colleagues informed us that they have the necessary 41 votes to stop any attempt to defund Planned Parenthood in the Senate. More significantly, we were told that President Barack Obama has announced that he will veto any budget bill that de-funds women’s health.

We heard from a single mother from Florida, who is currently battling stage 3 breast cancer. At the age of 19 she had her first struggle with breast cancer, detected early on because of the cancer screenings offered by Planned Parenthood. As a carrier of the “cancer gene”, she knows her daughters also have a greater chance of developing cancer, and Planned Parenthood is the only option they have for screenings. It is crucial that we continue funding Planned Parenthood so that it can help this family and many others.

We left the rally with the inspiring words of Reverend Marcia Dyson: “We need to stop the war on women. NOW. Keep your voices lifted. Show up, show out, and make them do the right thing. Stop the war on choice.”

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