I’ve tried to send this out to everyone I can think of, but just in case I miss anyone I’m posting it here, too. You can find the national press release here.
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Rally for Choice Las Vegas joins National Walk for Choice 2011 Rallies
Locals to rally Feb. 26 for Rally for Choice Las Vegas to support family planning provided by Planned Parenthood and protest passage of H.R. 3: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion bill.
Las Vegas , NV – Feb. 23, 2011 – A prochoice rally for Planned Parenthood is scheduled for Feb. 26, in response to a GOP-led vote barring the organization from using federal Title X family planning funding.
The event is part of the national, grassroots campaign called Walk for Choice and was prompted by the passage of H.R. 3, or the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” introduced by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ).
Walk for Choice is the brainchild of Chicago prochoice-activist Raven Geary who was horrified by the House vote, and sprung into action immediately.
“I started organizing an event for Chicago right away,” Geary said. “Then people kept messaging me and saying they wanted to plan one for their city.”
Currently, Walk for Choice 2011 rallies are planned in more than
4050 cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Portland, Ore., Anchorage, Alaska, the United Kingdom, and even Pakistan.Rallies and walks will take place starting at noon (local time) all over the country.
Locally, the Rally for Choice Las Vegas is being organized by Emmily Bristol, an award-winning writer and creator of The Sin City Siren (sincitysiren.wordpress.com) and Tired Feminist (tiredfeminist.wordpress.com) blogs.
“As a mother and prochoice feminist, I could not stand by and do nothing,” Bristol said. “I’ve been married for nearly 14 years and Planned Parenthood was there for me early on when I got married in college and needed affordable family planning health care. Thankfully, I was able to plan for my first and only pregnancy because of organizations like Planned Parenthood. But as the H.R. 3 vote shows us, we take Planned Parenthood for granted that they will always be there to serve those who need it most.”
Rally for Choice Las Vegas will take place at the Planned Parenthood offices at 3220 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV.
[Added] Congresswoman Dina Titus will be speaking at the rally.
Several local organizations are supporting Rally for Choice Las Vegas, including The Nevada Women’s Lobby, ProgressNow Nevada, Nevada NOW, Southern Nevada NOW and Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada. (Planned Parenthood is not an organizer of these events.)
If passed in the Senate, H.R. 3 could end access to family planning funding, which makes up more than a third of Planned Parenthood’s overall services, according to their 2009 annual report. In fact, only 3% of the organization’s services are for abortions. The majority of their services – more than 80% — go to cancer screenings, STD testing and contraceptives.
Geary said that in light of the economic environment and high levels of unemployment, the GOP should be focusing on what they promised on the campaign trail: job creation.
“While most Americans are demanding jobs, the GOP seems to have made overturning Roe v. Wade its top priority. The recent events in Congress surrounding H.R. 3 (No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act) struck a nerve with activists here in Illinois ,” Geary said. “We are now harnessing the power of social networking to organize demonstrations across the globe.”
ABOUT WALK FOR CHOICE
Walk for Choice 2011 was created directly in response to the events in Congress surrounding H.R. 3. Women and allies around the world will peacefully protest against limiting a woman’s right to choose and the right to have a safe, legal abortion. Abortion is a legal procedure that saves the lives of 70,000 women each year. Walk for Choice will take place in multiple cities on February 26th, 2011. The official Walk for Choice website is walkforchoice.tumblr.com.LOCAL CONTACT
Emmily Bristol, organizer
thesincitysiren@yahoo.com
SinCitySiren.wordpress.com
@TheSinCitySirenNATIONAL CONTACTS
Jessica Roy, publicist
walkforchoice@gmail.com
(323) 963-4273
WalkforChoice.tumblr.com
@WalkforChoiceRaven Geary, founder and director
ravengeary@gmail.com
(847) 894-7674
thehumorlessfeminist.tumblr.com@hmrlessfeministLeah Pickett, community organizer (Chicago)
leah.pickett@loop.colum.edu
(214) 755-3685
leahkristine.tumblr.com
@leahlovesmovies
The Sin City Siren 