ProChoice, pro-Planned Parenthood… pro “vahjayjay” rally

Posted on by Margaret Williams

Cheering and chanting as cars passed under the shadow of Vance Monument on Saturday, Feb. 26, protesters showed their support for pro-choice, pro-Planned Parenthood and pro… vaginas. “My body! My voice! My choice!” they chanted, drummed and whistled. Passersby were encouraged to “Honk for choice,” and when a motorist did, the group cheered.

Some protesters had just come from the pro-union rally held at Pack Square in support of Wisconsin public servants, and they waved “Stop the War on Workers” signs alongside “Keep your Boehner out of my va jay jay” and “Head Start or Fall Apart” ones. And as motorists continued to stream by (one even parked briefly and joined in with the protest rhythms), the group chanted, “We have a choice! We have a voice!”

Similar protests have been organized around the country in protest of a Congressional budget amendment that would defund Title X — a “$317 million program of aid for family planning,” according to the New York Times. Recently passed by the U.S. House of Representative, the proposal guts Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which provides medical, abortion and contraception services, particularly to low-income women. Rep. Heath Shuler was one of 11 Democrats to join Republicans in getting the cuts passed in the House by a 240-185 vote.

In Asheville, the protest included a “Walk for Choice” down Broadway. “Our bodies! Our voice! Our choice!” they chanted.

photos by Kim Gongre and Margaret Williams

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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams
View all posts by Margaret Williams →

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10 thoughts on “ProChoice, pro-Planned Parenthood… pro “vahjayjay” rally”

  1. jane dough

    I might be missing something but… Are they just upset cause these services wont be free anymore? I have to pay for my medical needs. I dont complain in pack square. Just sayin

  4. bill smith

    I am FIRMLY ‘pro-vahjayjay’.

    None of that amateur stuff, you gotta PAY for the professional quality.

  6. bill smith

    [i]planned parenthood isn’t free. [/i]

    But… that’s not what FOX told me!

  7. Kim

    But… that’s not what FOX told me!
    That’s because Fox disseminates false information, spun to allow the corporations to screw you while you cheer them on.

    Planned parenthood’s services like the health department are sliding scale based on income.

  8. Kim

    But they thankfully give bags of condoms to any that promise to use them. Which, many that are choosing to plan their parenthood, use.

  10. Agnes Cheek

    “My body, My voice, My choice” sign held up next to a “Stop the War on Workers” sign…

    now I know what the protests were *supposed* to be about, but the connotations are much different when it looks like both rallies are protesting the same thing…am I the only one who found this pic. funny?
    Categorized under Protest rally WIN!

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