Women's march shakes Washington

Carolyn Rummel

"I know first hand the anti-choice extremists now in control of 
the Capitol and of the White House are opposed to basic 
contraception", House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told the 
more than one million participants at the April 25 March for 
Women's Lives in Washington.

Seven groups — the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Women's 
Health Imperative, Feminist Majority, Pro-Choice America, 
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National 
Organisation for Women, and Planned Parenthood — initiated what 
turned into the largest and most diverse march for women's rights 
ever.

Over 70 speakers addressed the crowd full of families, young 
mothers, pregnant women and youth. The overriding theme was "We 
won't go back" and "We need regime change at home", and that 
reproductive rights means more than just legal and safe 
abortions.

"I have my daughter here and I'm here for her and for all of your 
daughters", President Kim Gandy from National Organisation for 
Women told the marchers, many of whom pushed strollers or carried 
placards with pictures of their children.

"If we succeed, they will grow up in charge of their bodies and 
their lives and their destinies. They'll decide whether and when 
to have children, they'll decide whether to marry and they'll 
marry who they want to marry", Gandy said.

"We hope and dream that they'll grow up with clean air and clean 
water, a good education, full health care, and freedom from 
bigotry, hatred and violence. And equal access to the bounty of 
this country without taking it from the pockets of the rest of 
the world. And all of this in a world at peace."

More than one-third of the marchers were under the age of 25. One 
of them, youth organiser Caricia Catalina, said, "We are here to 
remind everyone that choice is about more than legal freedoms. It 
means access to doctors. It means access to education. It means 
access to care in your language."

Babies born to Black women die at rates as high as in Third World 
countries and one out of every three Black women in the US has no 
health insurance, Black Women Health Imperative head Dr. Lorraine 
Cole told the crowd.

"All these numbers have names and faces, they represent women's 
lives", said Cole. "Just like Sojourner Truth more than 150 years 
ago, we have sojourned here to speak the truth. The time is now 
to answer Sojourner Truth's question 'Ain't I a woman?' with a 
resounding 'yes!'"

One of the issues of the march was the global "gag rule" imposed 
by the Bush administration on family planning clinics around the 
world that receive US funds. Funding has been cut to clinics that 
mention abortion as an option.

Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State during the Clinton 
administration, said Roe v. Wade is based on the US Constitution 
but the right to choose is a global imperative. "I say that not 
as a matter of ideology but rather as a description of reality."

The rally speakers were a mix of women's and mass movement 
leaders, Democrats, Republicans for choice and Hollywood stars, 
and included trade union leaders Gerald McEntee and Dolores 
Huerta. Representatives from over 60 countries participated.

Actress Ashley Judd, wearing a T-shirt that declared, "This is 
what a feminist looks like", led the crowd in a chant directed at 
the Bush administration, "Keep your laws off my body!" and called 
for "health insurance [to] cover all birth control."

Judd introduced United Farm Workers co-founder Huerta by saying, 
"This grandmother rocks!"

"The most important day of your life is not your birthday. The 
most important day of your life is Election Day", said Huerta. 
"In the Farm Workers' Union we have a phrase that says 'every 
worker is an organiser.' Today I want to say that every feminist 
is an organiser."

Huerta told the cheering crowd, "We have got to take this energy 
not only to our homes but to our neighborhoods and to our 
communities and make sure that every single person is registered 
to vote and that every single person gets out to vote."

Senator Hillary Clinton told participants before the march that 
there were 50 million women in the country eligible to vote who 
did not vote in the 2000 election.

"As you march today", she said, "turn to the person next to you, 
the person in front of you and the person behind you and ... ask 
them, 'Are you registered to vote? Do you vote?'"

The march and marchers put reproductive rights on the 
presidential campaign roadmap. They were unified on the necessity 
of defeating George W Bush in November. As one sign put it, 
"Landscape the White House ... get the Bushes out of there."

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People's Weekly World