Greater Rochester NOW to Host Roe v Wade 37th Anniversary Program

ALBANY, NY (01/18/2010)(readMedia)-- On January 22, the Rochester chapter of the National Organization for Women will commemorate the 37th anniversary of one of the most critical legal decisions of our time with a talk by Dr. Rachael Phelps, the Associate Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region. The title of Dr. Phelps' talk is "Protecting Our Future: A Report from the Front Lines."

"This 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade presents us with the opportunity to reflect on how far women have come in their struggle for equality and how far there still is to go," stated Rochester NOW President Linda Stephens. "It is alarming that opponents of women's rights are using the present debate over health care reform to try and curtail access to safe, legal abortion. The National Organization for Women is determined to oppose all such efforts to sabotage Roe v. Wade."

In addition to her work with Planned Parenthood, Dr. Phelps is a clinical instructor at the University of Rochester where she provides training in contraception, pregnancy options counseling, and abortion to both medical students and residents. She has worked in Kenya, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Bangladesh as well to improve maternal mortality through post abortion care training.

The talk is at 7 pm, free and open to the public. It will be held at the First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. A reception with refreshments will follow Dr. Phelps' talk. The talk is sponsored by Rochester NOW in conjunction with the Planned Parenthood of Rochester/Syracuse Region and the Reproductive Rights Committee of the First Unitarian Church.

"As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has so often proclaimed," stated Stephens, "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights. Roe v. Wade is a landmark legal decision that greatly advanced the rights of women. We must be ever vigilant that the rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade are never taken from us."