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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJoin the week of action to protest the Hobby Lobby decision & attacks on women's rights: July 3 - J
Join the week of action to protest the Hobby Lobby decision & attacks on women's rights: July 3 - Ju
WORD--Women Organized to Resist and Defend
Stop the war on womens rights!
Contraception IS healthcare!
Free, safe, legal abortion on demand!
Event Listing
Women's Equality Day LA action
The Supreme Court has shown itself to be the enemy of all women. The decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby constitutes an immediate attack on womens health and reproductive rights. The Court is one more weapon in the arsenal of the right-wing, anti-woman bigots who would deny women the right to control our bodies. This is part of a larger set of attacks over the last few years that intend to destroy the rights women won through militant mass movement in the 1970s.
The Burwell decision enshrines the totally unscientific religious beliefs held by owners of a corporation as highly valuable, while denying the healthcare needs of the women workers of the corporation. Because the Green family that owns Hobby Lobby believesdespite thoroughly researched scientific evidencethat life begins at conception, and the morning after pill and IUD prevent conception, the Supreme Court has declared that Hobby Lobby shouldnt have to comply with the Affordable Care Act coverage of those forms of birth control.
No employer should have the right to deny women their rights to make decisions about their health and well-being, including their reproductive health. The misleading words closely held are used by the court to describe Hobby Lobby, but in reality obscure the breadth of their decision. Hobby Lobby is not some small family-owned, religious-based business. It is a giant crafts store with 500 outlets and 16,000 employees. Not one of those 16,000 workers should have their health decisions undermined or negated because of the owners beliefs.
The Green family are religious bigots whose belief that contraception is equal to abortion (which it is not) and that abortion is immoral (which it is not) have now been supported by the Supreme Courts decision.
The ruling that a corporation should be protected as if it were an individualeven though corporations are also protected from individual liabilityand that the owners religious beliefs allow them to flout the law leads down a slippery slope of bigoted and hate-based politics. This constitutes a dangerous claim that corporate owners and bosses can use to carry out any number of racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ, bigoted policies against workers based on their gender, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
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Join WORD on July 3-13 in a city near you or call an action in your city and add it to the list! Events are being added every day!
Event Listing:
Los Angeles, Calif.
Date/Time/Location TBD
Info: la@defendwomensrights.org or 323-394-3611
San Francisco, Calif.
Thurs. July 3, 5:30 p.m.
Powell and Market Sts.
Info: sf@defendwomensrights.org or 415-375-9502
New Haven, Conn.
Sat. July 5, 10:00 a.m.
Hobby Lobby, 68 Frontage Rd, East Haven, CT
Info: ct@defendwomensrights.org or 203-787-8232
Washington D.C. area: Laurel, Maryland
Sat. July 5, 11:30 a.m.
Meet across the parking lot from Hobby Lobby (near Chik-fil-A)
3333 Corridor Marketplace, Laurel, Maryland
We will walk to Hobby Lobby as a group after we assemble
Info: dc@defendwomensrights.org or 240-487-WORD (9673)
Albuquerque, N.M.
Mon. July 7, 4:00 p.m.
Hobby Lobby, 4315 Wyoming Blvd NE
Info: abq@defendwomensrights.org or 505-249-1768
New York City, N.Y.
Date/Time/Location TBD
Info: nyc@defendwomensrights.org or 347-292-WORD (9673)
Seattle, Wash.
Sun. July 13, 5:00 p.m.
Future Hobby Lobby site, Aurora Ave N at N. 130th
Info: seattle@defendwomensrights.org or 206-568-1661
Email us at info@defendwomensrights.org to add details of your event!
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Let's RISE UP, people!
niyad
(113,582 posts)sadly, I cannot find any events in my area (not surprising, since I live in fundieville), but will be doing my best to get the word out.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I would have to take my walker but I'm game. My wife is not well right now so it was a tough decision whether to go but she has encouraged me, as she always does.
niyad
(113,582 posts)I think it is going to come in rather handy.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Having MS and Parkinsons, the heat really gets to me pretty quickly. I'll just have to prepare. My honey knows I can be terribly stubborn. She held down the fort when I drove across country to protest at the Bush ranch. Damn, it's hot in Texas in the summer!
niyad
(113,582 posts)it is MISERABLE in texas in the summer-- was just talking to two houstonians who are spending their holiday here (where it was 97 a few days ago).
many, many blessings to you and your honey for all you do.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Now if I can just remember where I put it!
I'm going to try for the protest in Maryland, which would be closest to where we live. My honey is very brave; she just found out a few days ago that she will need open heart surgery and we're still dealing with that emotionally and psychologically. But being the feisty old lesbians that we are, it would take a lot to knock us down. We have something to say and we're gonna say it!! It doesn't matter if this is a protest about contraception, which wouldn't affect us, needless to say -- fighting for the rights for women is fighting for the civil rights of all!
I just hope some of our young women and men will be there to help along us doddering old relics from the "protest 60's".
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Seems to be the trick round these parts. Whatever it takes.
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And yes, he's mine.
niyad
(113,582 posts)theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)He's older now... I'll dig up his "blues" photo for you. He's quite a character but my other Scottie is the real boss. He knows she's not to be messed with.
niyad
(113,582 posts)and everything?)
Cha
(297,723 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Posted before the USSC decision, but posters there showed many ways to combat this, with links to Facebook pages, etc. Also predicting exactly what would happen if the decision went to the Hobby Lobby, nationally.
A good turnout is needed but in this state, we are split between red and blue. I am sure police will not allow disorder from the rightwingers, who will show up as they did at the Seattle Pride Parade this year. We have suffered greatly from hate radio and the suppression - elimination - of progressive voices in all media venues.
There's a chance we will lose both state houses this fall due to infighting within the Democratic Party and the never ending flood of out of state monies for the Reichwingers.
Thanks for reposting this thread, sad that the call for action in this thread isn't getting the response expected.
niyad
(113,582 posts)theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I didn't have the information on WORD --Women Organized to Resist and Defend but I *think* defendwomensrights.org is their website.
Even if folks can't attend a protest they can help fund the work of this organization.