36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. To commemorate the occasion, the Connecticut Coalition for Choice (CCC), which NARAL is a member of, held a press conference on the second floor of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The theme of the event was to unite and look to the future of reproductive justice. Jillian Gilchrest, co-chair of the CCC, lead the event and introduced speakers. The press conference had a myriad of speakers, including: a high school student discussing sex education and a college student discussing the birth control crisis across campuses; Members from NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; the Comptroller, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. Pro-choice legislators also came to show their support. The presence of lawmakers at the conference proves Connecticut’s commitment to reproductive rights. Speakers were looking for common ground to usher in a new era of reproductive choice. Gilchrest said: “The future of the reproductive choice movement is focused on prevention. Common amongst all of us, those for and those against abortion, is the desire to reduce unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortion, and we can do that-- with better access to contraceptives and comprehensive, medically accurate, age appropriate sex education.” The overall mood was very optimistic, especially due to President Obama’s inauguration two days earlier. Many speakers mentioned their hope that the new administration will work to undo the slashes that have weakened abortion and other reproductive rights in the past eight years. The worst is behind us as we look forward to reproductive justice gains in the next four years. Happy birthday Roe v. Wade!
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