| New pro-choice leaders lobby Congress |
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Choice USA youth activists lobby Congress for reproductive choice WASHINGTON, DC - Tuesday, July 17, 2001 – As Choice USA’s annual Gloria Steinem Leadership Institute draws to a close, student leaders from across the country will turn theory into action at the GSLI Lobby Day. Over 50 pro-choice students attended this year’s Institute, an intensive five-day conference of workshops and training sessions focusing on reproductive rights for women. On Tuesday morning, the participants will meet on Capitol Hill to speak with legislators about the importance of reproductive choice. The students will ask members of Congress to support contraceptive coverage in health insurance, oppose undue restrictions on the abortion pill Mifepristone (also known as RU-486) and work to lift President Bush’s “global gag rule,” the executive order which bars doctors in family planning clinics abroad that receive U.S. funds from discussing abortion options with patients. “These young leaders are mobilizing their communities for reproductive choice,” said Crystal Plati, Executive Director of ChoiceUSA. “Choice USA is proud to support them in developing the skills to advocate for their communities and demand that their elected representatives respect reproductive rights.” Lobby Day participants will also ask senators to vote against the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act.” The House voted in April to pass this bill, which many supporters of reproductive choice consider an attempt to undermine abortion rights by creating legal rights for developing fetuses. |
