Candlelight Vigil in Support of Roe v. Wade

Candlelight Vigil in Support of Roe v. Wade
By Mike Rhodes

A candlelight vigil was held tonight in Fresno in support of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutional right of women to choose to have a safe and legal abortion. January 22, 2007 marks the 34th anniversary of the decision.

Patsy Montgomery, Public Affairs Director for the Central Valley region of Planned Parenthood helped organize the vigil. In a press release announcing the vigil, she wrote “much has happened in the 34 years since Roe, and our landscape today is filled with threats to reproductive freedom. Victories in the November 7, 2006 General Election are cause for celebration as pro-choice voters in California and Oregon kept vulnerable teens safe by voting against mandatory parental notification laws and as South Dakota voters defeated a state abortion ban. Despite these victories, there is much to be done to increase access to family planning and other reproductive health services, especially for low-income women and families.”

After the vigil, held at the new Federal Courthouse in Fresno, participants went to the Planned Parenthood Education Center to see the video - Motherhood by Choice, Not Chance.

For more information, contact Patsy Montgomery at 559.488.4908 x 301.