Why we march for choice
On March 26th, pro-choice activists in several cities organized a second March for Choice, as a follow-up to marches in late February in defense of the right choose and support public funding for Planned Parenthood. In Portland's Pioneer Square, some 30 to 40 people turned out.
Several people joined the march along the way and many people gave signs of support from honking their horns to giving the march thumbs up signs and enthusiastic yells of support from inside stores and on the streets.
Favorite chants included "STIs are no fun, Free testing for everyone!" Dental, dams, free condoms," "Hey, hey, Capital Hill! Give us back our birth control pill!" "Hey GOP, let my uterus go free!" and "Hey Obama, take a stand, free abortion on demand!"
interviewed 18-year-old Haley Elizabeth White, one of the march organizers and a student at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.
HOW LONG have you been involved with the struggle for women's rights?
HONESTLY, I haven't been protesting for very long. I've considered myself a feminist all my life, but I always saw it as women's suffrage and the equal pay act. I attended a forum put on by Bitch Media about body image and the unattainable products of Photoshop.
That forum really made it clear to me that feminist activism is still important because now we're fighting patriarchy on a whole different level. Feminism is evolving into an all-inclusive activist society that promotes positive body image, bodily autonomy and the entire LGBT*QQI community. The successes of past feminist movements are huge, but I think this one is revolutionary.
WHAT WERE some of the reasons you decided to organize the march?
I HAD been reading a lot of news articles surrounding the house bill that would cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and I was livid. I wanted to do something. When the first Walk for Choice was announced, I just wanted to attend one.
I waited for about two weeks for a Portland event to be posted, but there wasn't one. So, ultimately I created a Facebook event page, and it kind of took off from there. We did mostly social networking to get the word out. After the first walk, Rem (my co-conspirator for the most recent walk) asked if we could have another, so we both set to work.
At that point, the original bill had been squashed, but we ultimately decided it was still important to be active. If they tried it once, they'll likely try it again.
WHAT"S YOUR opinion on Obama's stance on women's rights and abortion rights?
I THINK generally his stance on the issue is a moderate one. Yes, he supports choice, which I appreciate, but there is a lot more he can be doing for women's rights.
For example, Afghan women's rights activist, Malalai Joya, was scheduled to go on a speaking tour this week for her new book. However, the Obama administration denied her an entry visa. In Obama's case, actions (or lack thereof) speak volumes louder than words.
WHY SHOULD people care about the right to choose?
I DON'T think anyone can really speculate on choice until they've been put in that position. It's easy for someone to condemn something that they have no experience with. Additionally, I think choice applies to everything. It's important to have choices--choice of sexual partner, choice of gender, choice of what we do with our bodies.
WHY SHOULD people care about the proposed cuts to Planned Parenthood? Who do you think will benefit from these cuts? Who will lose?
I THINK the attack on Planned Parenthood is going to be most largely apparent to lower- and middle-class people. They are the primary patrons of Planned Parenthood, and with cuts to government funds, services will be more expensive and less accessible.
This is extremely dangerous for these people since Planned Parenthood provides STI/STD screenings and treatment, cancer screenings and treatment, mammograms and pap smears.
ARE THERE any other issues currently that are motivating, disturbing or inspiring you?
THE EFFORTS to redefine rape really disturbed me. I can't think of a greater attack on women, or men for that matter. To quote [New York] Rep. Anthony Weiner, "forcible rape, changing the definition of rape because apparently some rape is more desirable, in the eyes of the maker of the bill, than others."
People who have experienced such a traumatic experience do not need their attacks invalidated by members of the government.
DO YOU have any personal experience with Planned Parenthood that you would like to share?
WHEN I moved to the area, I didn't have insurance anymore, and therefore I didn't have access to the birth control I had been taking for two years prior. I went to Planned Parenthood and in one appointment, they gave me three months worth of the exact birth control I had been taking.
On my second visit, they gave me 11 months. I donated all that I had in my wallet at the time, which only amounted to about seven dollars, but the people who accepted the donation were genuinely grateful. They care about their patients more than anything there.
WHAT KIND of organizing is in the future?
PEOPLE ARE still interested in continuing the walk, so we're starting on planning another one for April. The exact date will be determined, but as long as there is a demand, we'll still keep having walks. We're working on getting a local physician to speak at the next event!
