 "Photo: The Lantern")
Despite wet and gloomy weather, around 15 Ohio State activists lined up along High Street Wednesday to speak out against the proposed Stupak Amendment.
The protesters gathered in front of the Wexner Center for the Arts to collect signatures on a petition against the amendment, which would "ban private and public health insurance that covers abortion care for millions of women," according to a pamphlet from Planned Parenthood.
Jon Plappert, a student in communication, was one of the first to sign the petition.
"I've always felt that people should always have a choice no matter what," he said. "We should have the right to choose whatever is right for us."
Leah Apothaker, a first-year in political science, held a sign in the shape of a tombstone that read "R.I.P. Reproductive Rights" and asked people to sign the petition.
"I'm not going to be silenced. If I can get one person to sign the petition and give them information, that's what I want to do," she said. "Obama promised us we wouldn't lose our rights with the new health care plan. I'm gonna hold him to it."
The reaction of the people passing by was positive, said Ellen Weissfeld, a third-year in political science and one of the organizers of the protest. Weissfeld is the president of VOX, voices for planned parenthood at Ohio State. Members of VOX and other groups participated in the event.
"People are eager to get involved and show support," she said.
She said passage of the Stupak Amendment would be a setback to women's reproductive rights.
Weissfeld said about 30 signatures were added to petitions.
"The Stupak amendment will prohibit millions of women from using their own personal money to buy private health insurance that provides comprehensive reproductive benefits," she said.
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20 comments
Pro-Life folk are DEFINITELY entitled to their opinion, and are more than welcome to stand on soapboxes preaching their beliefs to everyone that will listen. That is the great thing about this country, and is one of the reasons why I am proudly serving in the military.
What I have trouble with, is exactly what someone pointed out earlier... the amendment states that : “The Stupak amendment will prohibit millions of women from using their own PERSONAL money to buy PRIVATE health insurance that provides comprehensive reproductive benefits.”While abortion is what everyone is focusing on here, the WHOLE point is a loss for women's rights! Why take rights away from anybody? If you're going to attack abortion, then attack it! It's your choice. Don't take rights away from women who are not doing anything against the law.
That is the scandal. That's the outrage.
The article states this in its final lines.
People preach that they don't want to "pick up the tab" and if you say that then, you should not be in the public option itself. Everyone in the option is- in a sense- going to help "pick up the tab" for other people.
Another fact: right now the abortion rate for women living in poverty is 4x that of those not in poverty. Are you saying that poor women shouldn't have the option to abort a fetus?? (That's right folk, a fetus- not a "baby', "child" or any of those other heart-renching terms that pro-lifers like to throw around.) A fetus that would be another mouth to feed, clothe, and send to school? Sounds like classism to me.
And boys, I don't really care what you have to say. Not your body. But your anti-choice stance will affect you-it will affect your sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces, cousins, girlfriends, wives. I think I'll end with a quote: “If the anti-abortion movement took a tenth of the energy they put into noisy theatrics and devoted it to improving the lives of children who have been born into lives of poverty, violence, and neglect, they could make a world shine.” - Jay Tucker (and we're on the offense here. WE didn't start this whole Stupak mess.)