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ismnotwasm

(41,921 posts)
Tue Jul 2, 2013, 12:56 AM Jul 2013

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: Texas Men Explain Why So Many Are Joining The Fight



AUSTIN, Texas — More than 5,000 Texans gathered on the lawn of the State Capitol Monday to voice their outrage about stringent new abortion restrictions that, if passed, would make it virtually impossible for women in large swaths of the state to access reproductive care.
Large turnout for the rally came after Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) called a second special session in order to try to pass legislation that had been defeated by State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) in a remarkable 13-hour filibuster last week. If it succeeds, the legislation would, among other changes, criminalize abortion after 20 weeks and create onerous new regulations that would force virtually all of the state’s abortion clinics to shut down.
One hallmark of Monday’s massive protest was the number of men who joined the rally for women’s rights, some even driving from as far as Houston and Dallas to attend. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, remarked to ThinkProgress that their presence showed “these are not just women’s issues, they’re family issues.”
ThinkProgress spoke with over a half-dozen men at the rally about what it meant for them to be there and the importance of women’s rights being a universal issue. Here’s what they told us:


PHIL PERKINS: “They may pass it, but I’ll still protest it. And when they pass it, I’ll keep protesting it. Inside that building there are a lot of men working against women. I’m just representing all the men that are outside this building that support women.”

MICKEY SHANAHAN: “Just like every civil rights fight, if someone is not free, none of us are free. All of our rights are at stake. This is not the first issue where our rights have been eroded, but this is one that happens to affect 52 percent of the population. We all need to fight for this.”

More:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/07/01/2242971/texas-men-womens-rights/?mobile=wt

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Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: Texas Men Explain Why So Many Are Joining The Fight (Original Post) ismnotwasm Jul 2013 OP
if someone is not free, none of us are free Skittles Jul 2013 #1
Damn straight ismnotwasm Jul 2013 #2
That warmed my heart. It's nice to see the support..... Little Star Jul 2013 #3
Me too ismnotwasm Jul 2013 #4
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