Rally For Women In Montpelier

Janet Bennion, anthropology professor at Lyndon State College, pointed out that "Recently we [have] heard of this disturbing Arizona law that would preclude the right for any women, even two weeks before she has even conceived a child, to have an abortion."

Laws like this are exactly why there is a rally for women's rights taking place April 28, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Bennion encourages students to go. Those who are interested should arrive outside of ASAC at 9:30, where two buses will be waiting to bring students to Montpelier.

Citizens in Vermont are not alone in their protest. Similar rallies will be taking place in every state capitol.

The goal of the rally is to help defend women's rights and to seek equality.

"The political statements and laws that have been promoting reproductive control of women's bodies. And also about economic inequalities that are being sponsored in various states," Bennion said. 

The rally has captured the attention of Vermont entertainers, such as Neko Case, singer and songwriter and two-time Grammy nominee, singer and songwriter Tammy Fletcher, and the theatre group Bread and Puppet, from Glover, Vt.

Margaret George, junior psychology and human services major, helped organize Lyndon's involvement. In an email, George wrote what motivated her to attend and help facilitate the event.

"Standing up for all of the women who might be too shy or scared to.  As well as supporting all women ...mothers, sisters and daughters."

Emma Kaplan, freshman psychology major, plans to attend the rally and said. "I believe that this is an important issue and it needs more support, and that is why I plan to attend the rally."

 "The rally is created as a grass-roots movement to create awareness of what's happening in our country," Bennion said. "Women are autonomous independent citizens who have the right to do whatever they wish to do, they have the choice to either have a child or not have a child."

Bennion believes that the politicians who are trying to implement strict and controlling women's rights laws and legislation need to come to realize a valuable point that "If it wasn't for birth control our population would be experiencing a very serious problem, we would be experiencing over-population, and deprivation of resources."

At the rally the public can become aware of the legislation that politicians are implementing. Bennion gave one example.

"Virginia's legislature has sponsored this bill to force women who are seeking an abortion have a vaginal probe ultrasound," is unnecessarily invasive to women, as Bennion notes, "It was [this legislation] in no way related to women's reproductive rights, in fact it was antithetical to them."

Points such as these will be made more common knowledge at the rally.