celebrate women's equality day: vote

[niyad]

Celebrate Women's Equality Day: vote
Since 1971, we have celebrated Women's Equality Day every Aug. 26 because we want everyone to remember that for women, freedom and opportunity have been gained only through effort, struggle, debate, disappointment and perseverance. They were not handed to us.

In Wisconsin right now, women are even more familiar with struggle and disappointment than we would like to be. Over the past three years, Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature's partisan majority have introduced, moved and passed numerous bills restricting women's access to everything from equal pay protections, sick leave, health care coverage, sex education and birth control to abortion.
Because of these laws, women's health will suffer. Our health care costs will increase. There will be more undiagnosed cancers, sexually transmitted disease, unintended pregnancies, delayed prenatal care and, yes, more abortions. Walker and the Republican majority are playing politics with women's health and reversing decades of bipartisan progress.

Walker's first strike against women was to end funding for patients seeking essential preventive health care at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, a nonprofit health care provider that serves more than 70,000 women and families throughout the state. When the governor took away funding for women's health care he forced the closure of four rural Planned Parenthood health centers where women received access to affordable, lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, wellness exams and health referrals. In those four counties, there is still no other place for women to go for these basic services.

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There is a Capitol rally at noon Monday to celebrate Women's Equality Day. If you can't make it to the rally you can still stand with Wisconsin women and raise your voice by going to www.ppawi.org. And the best way to celebrate Women's Equality Day is to vote.



http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/celebrate-womens-equality-day-vote-b9981633z1-220888531.html