Pittsburgh Pro Choice March in Protest of Republican Taliban Anti Choice Measures

It's today downtown at 4:30 pm. I can't attend but I will certainly sign their petition.

Here's what I got over the emails:

Dear Friends,
Please join Raising Women's Voices for a rally today Feb. 17 stand up against the attack on women and health care.
Today, Thursday February 17
4:30 pm
The Old Allegheneny County Morgue
542 4th Avenue
Corner of 4th Avenue and Ross Street
And whether you can join us today or not, please sign our petition against the attack on Womens' Health Care at http://paforwomenshealth.org,
Newly elected lawmakers were sent to Washington and Harrisburg to create jobs. But since taking office, they have instead been appeasing right wing extremists who want to roll back the advances women made in the last forty years.
The attack began, in both Washington and Harrisburg, with legislation that would make it harder for women to use their own money to purchase health insurance that covers abortion. These new attempts to limit abortion rights are, however, just the beginning of the attack on health care for women.
In Harrisburg, with no leadership from the Governor, hopes are dimming that AdultBasic can be saved. AdultBasic provides affordable health insurance for those who earn too much to qualify for medical assistance. A majority of the 42,000 beneficiaries of AdultBasic are women.
And, not to be out done, Congressional leadership in Washington will propose a budget for this fiscal year that would:

• Entirely eliminate all federal funding for family planning and reproductive health. In other words, Republicans who oppose abortion are doing everything they can to encourage more unwanted pregnancies while attacking Planned Parenthood, the most respected provider of women’s health care in the country.
• Chop $1.1 billion cut from Head Start.
• Cut $758 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a program created by the Nixon administration that provides supplemental food to infants as well as health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women.
• Reduce the Maternal and Child Health Block Grants by $210 million. This program, a descendant of one created during the Harding Administration, supports children with special needs, provides newborn screening and genetic services, and funds lead poisoning and injury prevention.
• Slash $1.3 billion from Community Health Centers that provide affordable health care to low income women, men and their children. Last year, Republicans claimed we didn’t need health care reform because Community Health Centers provide care to people with low incomes. This year, they are ready to slash funding for them.

Lawmakers in both Washington and Harrisburg have also been busy trying to block implementation of the health care legislation passed last year even though support for it is rising as citizens come to understand how the law protects them from insurance company abuses.
Please join us Feb. 17 at 4:30 PM at the Old County Morgue.
And please remember to sign the petition at http://paforwomenshealth.org .  We'll be delivering signatures to lawmakers next week.
Marc
Marc Stier
Executive Director
Penn ACTION
PA State Director
Health Care For America NOW