Community Corner
West Hollywood to Help Recognize Roe v. Wade Anniversary With Free Forum
City to co-sponsor community forum Wednesday at NCJW/LA, with special guest speakers from NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project.
Pro-choice advocates and political activists will discuss the fight for reproductive freedom next week. Jan. 18 marks the 39th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 that legalized abortion in the United States.
The Los Angeles chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, with help from the city of West Hollywood Women's Advisory Board, is holding a free community forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the NCJW/LA Council House, 543 N. Fairfax Ave.
"Those determined to ban abortion completely continue to use every legislative opportunity to restrict access to it at the state and federal level without consideration to women and children who have been brutally raped or victims of incest," said Ruth Williams, director of advocacy for NCJW/LA, in a statement.
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"Women have the right to make reproductive choices based on their own moral and religious beliefs, and NCJW will continue to do everything in our power to maintain this constitutional right," Williams added.
The Roe v. Wade program is part of NCJW/LA's Voices for Reproductive Choices—an initiative to mobilize the general public through petitions, awareness campaigns, social media and working with other organizations.
According to a release, panelists will discuss education in the schools, treatment of women in the military regarding abortion, clauses in insurance policies for entities that receive federal funds, proposed changes to health insurance affecting abortion and parental notification initiatives coming down the pipeline in California.
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Special guest speakers include Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California; Gabriela Valle, senior director for the California Latinas for Reproductive Justice; Serena Josel, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles; Joyce Schorr, founder and president of the Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP) and Kaya Masler, USC student and political organizer.
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