Abortion Rights Rally Protesting Texas Law Planned for Westfield Saturday - TAPinto.net
WESTFIELD, NJ — Joining in the national conversation about abortion rights, two Westfield women are planning rally at a local park this weekend to protest a recently approved Texas law that is considered to be the biggest curb to the constitutional right to abortion in decades.
Set to be held in Mindowaskin Park Saturday, Oct. 2, the rally is scheduled ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court reconvening Oct. 4, co-organizers Marci Bandelli and Lydia Kaplan, of Westfield, said.
“We see this exceptionally cruel and dangerous abortion ban take hold in Texas,” Bandelli said. “Nobody really thought the Supreme Court would duck it. Nobody really thought this would take hold.”
On Sept. 1, the Texas governor approved the law prohibiting abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks — before some women know they’re pregnant, the Associated Press reported.
Voting 5-4 on Sept. 2, the Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others over the new law but suggested the denial would not be the last ruling on the new law, the news reports said.
While Bandelli and Kaplan said the Westfield rally is being organized independently of any organizations, it is one among a series of demonstrations set to happen across the state and nation that weekend.
Nearly one-in-four U.S. women will have an abortion by the time they are 45, Kaplan said, citing a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. And it is not only a women’s issue, said the organizers, who are encouraging men to join in support.
“This is not just an issue that women need to be concerned about,” Kaplan said. “An abortion involves an entire family.”
The Texas law, the AP reported, leaves enforcement up to private citizens through civil lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.
Bandelli cited concern that other states have taken Texas’ lead.
“This is outrageous,” she said. “It’s moving swiftly throughout the country, and women need to know in real time, so Lydia and I got together and said we have to do this.”
Among the speakers scheduled, Bandelli and Kaplan said, are Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle; Westfield resident Elizabeth Talmont, vice president of research development at Planned Parenthood of Northern Central and Southern New Jersey; and Rep. Tom Malinowski, of the Seventh Congressional District.
If you go
The event is scheduled to be held 9:30 a.m. — 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2. Masks are encouraged. Handheld signs only. Mindowaskin Park is located at 385 East Broad St. in Westfield, next to the police station and municipal building.
Email Matt Kadosh at [email protected] | Twitter: @MattKadosh
Read More Westfield NJ Local News
MORE: Westfield Recap: School District Ranking, Crackdown on Pool Rentals & More
MORE: Coming Soon to Downtown Westfield: Ice Cream for Dogs, Blissful Beauty & More
MORE: Westfield Girls Tennis Off to a Winning Start
Find TAPinto Westfield on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for email news alerts and Download the TAPinto mobile app for Android or iOS.
source: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/westfield/sections/law-and-justice/articles/abortion-rights-rally-protesting-texas-law-planned-for-westfield-saturday
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.