As Republicans began to gather in New York this past weekend for their national convention, thousands marched in support of reproductive rights. Major pro-choice organizations brought together between 10-15,000 people for Saturday’s march across the Brooklyn Bridge toward City Hall Park to rally for reproductive rights, according to AlterNet.org. Katy Quissell, coordinator of the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Get Out Her Vote campaign and participant in Saturday’s rally, said “This event demonstrated the overwhelming support for abortion rights and reproductive health care. However, this support needs to translate into women participating in the political process by voting and running for office. Right now women make up only 14 percent of US Congress, and if we want our issues to be on the forefront of the political agendaÑwe have to be active in larger numbers.” On Sunday, Code Pink Women for Peace held an anti-war rally in Riverside Park at the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt. The Feminist Majority and other women’s rights groups co-sponsored the event, which then formed the women’s contingent of the United for Peace and Justice march of half a million strong. Meanwhile, the Republican party surprised many when they released their platform with a preamble that included “open-door” language, stating that “we respect and accept that members of our party have deeply held and sometimes differing views,” Women’s eNews reports. The concession took place after groups such as Republicans for Choice pushed for what they called the “unity platform.” Unfortunately, the actual platform continues to call for more limitations to a woman’s right to an abortion. Women’s eNews reports that both moderates and conservatives have complained that they were cut off from the platform writing process more this year than ever before. In the past, preliminary hearings were held all over the nation, giving politicians and advocacy groups the opportunity to contribute diverse opinions. Over the last decade, the number of hearings has dwindled, with none held this year, shutting pro-choice advocates out of the process completely. LEARN MORE about the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Get Out Her Vote campaign DONATE to the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Get Out Her Vote campaign
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