Christian County women and allies rally in Hopkinsville

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (WBKO) - Under the intense heat, residents of Christian and surrounding counties gathered on the stairs of the Christian County Justice Center this morning for a rally dedicated to Women’s Rights.

Rallies, marches, and protests have sprung up across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. The decision, ending the constitutional right for women to have abortions, was met with both celebration and grief. However, the argument goes beyond abortions and is more about a woman’s right to choose.

Women and allies from all walks of life in every state have taken to the streets to have their voices heard since the decision was made. The women of Hopkinsville chose the Fourth of July, as their day to raise their voices.

Holding this rally on Independence Day sends a poignant message. Attendants actively chose to ditch wearing red, white, and blue to make a statement about the loss of freedom of choice.

Pam Dossett, the organizer of the rally, said “If we are not considered full citizens if we are second class citizens, then we can’t celebrate fully our freedoms and our liberties.”

With daughters of her own, Dossett admits that she had taken her right to choose for granted but worries for them and other women what this could mean for the future. She fears that this reversal of a woman’s right to choose may just be the beginning of other rights being stripped away. Not just for women, but for many other citizens of our country.

“We call it a Women’s Rally but we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the beginning,” she said.

With November elections soon approaching, there were voter registration and information stations at the rally. Sheila Smith-Anderson, an activist and speaker at the rally, said “Do not… Do not sleep on another election. Don’t let our freedoms pass away. Today is the Fourth of July, please stand on that freedom to vote and don’t let any more freedom be taken away from us.”

In 1979, the United Nations adopted an International Bill of Rights for Women called the “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” (CEDAW).

The treaty addressed women’s rights to be free from domestic and sexual violence. It also guaranteed the right to equal treatment in education, employment, and access to health care.

Former President Jimmy Carter signed it on July 17, 1980, but it has never been brought before the full Senate for a vote. In 2010, the Obama administration expressed support for the ratification of the treaty but did not take the actions needed to secure it.

The treaty was referenced by Idalia Luna, Executive Director of the Human Rights Commission, “We signed an international human rights law that protects women from this gender-based violence and we need to honor our treaties. We need to be the beacon that we call ourselves to be of the world. We need to be the leaders that we say that we are and we need to hold our treaties and our contracts true.”

Currently, the fight for abortion access is headed to Kentucky’s Supreme Court.

Kentucky’s trigger law that went into effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned has been blocked since last Thursday.

Abortions in the commonwealth will remain legal until the ACLU and the state are back in court Wednesday to argue whether or not the state’s constitution guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion.

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