Expect a lot of women at the Westin tomorrow night. Planned Parenthood is putting together a Women Are Watching event outside the downtown hotel to “counter” a Women for Doherty event that will be going on inside.
“Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island wants Rhode Island voters to know whether their legislators have supported women’s health issues, so that they have this critical information when they vote in November,” said Judy Tabar President of PPV!RI in a press release.
The Doherty event was promoted on Craigslist. Both begin at 6:30.
According to the release from Planned Parenthood:
At the rally, Rhode Island women and men will seek Mr. Doherty’s acknowledgement of Congress’ radical movement to restrict women’s health care and to commit to supporting women’s health care and defend Planned Parenthood’s services.
The Women Are Watching campaign aims to educate Rhode Island voters on the positions of 2012 candidates regarding women’s health care issues and to empower women to hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable, and elect pro-women’s health candidates. Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island welcomes new volunteers, activists and members.
The current Republican-led Congress has voted 33 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act which includes many preventative health care benefits for women including equalizing healthcare costs. Republicans have tried to end Title X funding which provides underprivileged women access to cancer screenings, birth control and other reproductive health services. Mr. Doherty supports Mitt Romney who has promised to end co-pay free contraceptives and to defund Planned Parenthood.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund Federal PAC has endorsed David Cicilline for this Congressional seat, based upon his 100% voting record on issues of women’s health care.