Women to march for rights in D.C.

On April 25, voices all over the country will unite for the March For Women's Lives in Washington D.C.

The march - which will begin at 10 a.m. at the National Mall between the Smithsonian museums - is a rally to protect reproductive and personal freedom, according to its official Web site.

The march will address more than abortion rights issues, said Beth Whitted, a coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio.

"(The march) also has to do with family planning, pregnancy choices, access to family planning and family child care," Whitted said. "With the upcoming election, we're sending a message to everybody, not just Democrats or Republicans."

Becky Tippett, a senior in sociology and president of Voices for Planned Parenthood, is organizing a bus trip to the nation's capital.

"The march is all about protecting reproductive rights and justice for women," she said. "Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio has been working to coordinate buses to take 250 people to Washington. A large number of bus riders are students from OSU."

Danielle Karpus, a junior in political science, said she will be on one of the buses and heard of the march through Voices for Planned Parenthood.

"I'm really excited to use my voice to stand up for what I really believe in," Karpus said. "It is important for me to exercise my rights, and I wish more people in our generation participated in stuff like this more often."

Pre-Roe v. Wade generations are raising their voices as well. Malinda Amspaugh, a business services officer in the Facilities Planning department of Student Affairs, said she will attend the march.

"Back in the generation where I came from, before abortion was legal, women were getting them in basements and back alleys," Amspaugh said. "We need to make sure rights and health measures aren't taken away from the female population."

Whitted said she believes the march will speak for those who quietly support their message.

"When I was buying tons of water and juice for the bus trip, another woman was buying juice for her son's soccer team," she said. "She asked me what I was buying it for, and when I told her, she said she wouldn't go but that she was glad people were doing it. Especially in the Midwest, where people are more uncomfortable talking about these issues, it's important to send a message."

Planned Parenthood is co-sponsoring the march, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization for Women, the Black Women's Health Imperative and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

Those interested should visit the Voices for Planned Parenthood Web site - vox.org.ohio-state.edu - or the official march Web site at www.marchforwomen.org.