Advocates of women’s rights gathered Wednesday outside the North Carolina General Assembly for the “Not in Her Shoes” rally.
The protest took place in response to a piece of legislature, Senate Bill 308, which enacts restrictive regulation on women’s health care and reproductive rights.
Moderated by Hannah Allison, a graduate student in social work, the event featured an array of politicians and pro-choice educators organizing to remind Republican lawmakers that they don’t walk in women’s shoes, and therefore shouldn’t make decisions that concern women’s health.
Hannah Osborne, a senior history major, gave a speech on behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice on the topic of “choice and activism.”
She spoke about politicians who enact legislation that infringes upon the rights of women.
“To say that someone else is better fit to make decisions concerning my body and my life undermines my education, insults my intelligence and mocks my citizenship,” Osborne said.
Osborne also noted that activism is not a one-time gig, and chose to be a part of the pro-choice movement because the 2012 election brought to her attention an increasing number of legislative threats to women’s rights.
“If a law, bill or act restricts reproductive rights, it impugns the freedom that all women rightfully deserve,” Osborne said. “Activism must prevail … I will not be quiet until North Carolina’s legislative attacks on my freedom cease.”
The inability of politicians to make medical decisions for women was emphasized by all speakers, but was most aptly described by NARAL Pro-Choice supporters who donned shirts that read “Politicians Make Crappy Doctors.”
Concerning NARAL Pro-Choice and its growing influence on campus, Dara Russ, president of NARAL Pro-Choice at N.C. State, spoke highly of N.C. State’s pro-choice movement.
“I always get this feeling that State is a bit conservative, because the conservative students have a strong presence and are very vocal on campus,” Osborne said. “Reception of NARAL by students has strongly contradicted my previous perception.”
The event culminated with a legislative call-to-arms beckoned by Representative Alma Adams.
Adams critiqued Republican legislators for stripping state employees and teachers of comprehensive health care and passing “Choose Life” license plates in order to underhandedly funnel state dollars into Crisis Pregnancy Centers that deny women accurate information about their pregnancy options.
She also acknowledged that while the “Not in Her Shoes” rally was about women’s health at its forefront, it was also a rally for voter rights.
“Women stand to lose more than anyone else if this legislature passes a voter ID law,” Adams said. “Women make up 54 percent of active voters, but 66 percent of those are without a North Carolina photo ID.”
She finished her speech by encouraging those in attendance to get angry at the act.
“It’s all about power, and so let’s empower ourselves to make that difference,” Adams said. “The difference that we make ourselves will matter and it will impact women all over this state in a way that allows us to realign the dignity that this state legislature tried to strip from us.”
Supporters of the rally who were unable to attend donated shoes that lined the walkways in Halifax Mall. Those shoes were later donated to a local organization serving women in crisis.
A follow-up event will be held on Women’s Advocacy Day, Tuesday, April 9 in the North Carolina General Assembly Legislative Auditorium. Kim Gandy, CEO and President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, will speak at the event.
