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LGBTQ organizations, legal rights groups, and reproductive rights advocates gathered outside the White House on Friday, October 13 to protest the Trump administration's recent attempts to use religious beliefs to justify discrimination. (@PeoplePower/Twitter)
Rights Groups Join Forces to Fight Trump's #LicenseToDiscriminate
Protesters denounced the Trump administration's attempts to use "religious freedom" to justify discrimination and limiting access to contraception
Oct 13, 2017
LGBTQ organizations, legal rights groups, and reproductive rights advocates rallied outside the White House on Friday to protest the Trump administration's latest attempts to use religious beliefs to justify discrimination and limit access to birth control.
Specifically, they gathered to oppose President Donald Trump's recent decision to roll back the birth control mandate--jeopardizing access to contraception for millions of women--and a "religious freedom" memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that the Justice Department will allow employers to use religious or moral beliefs as a defense against discrimination allegations.
Faith leaders, doctors, and leaders of various national organizations addressed the crowd gathered in D.C. Between speakers, those gathered chanted "not the church, not the state, women must decide our fate," and "our bodies, our lives, our right to decide!"
Rally participants included members of reproductive rights groups such as the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood as well as major legal advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Health Law Program, and the National Women's Law Center, one of the event's main organizers.
LGBTQ organizations such the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force were also represented, as was Catholics For Choice, a group which believes "that the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health."
Rights groups shared images and updates from the rally on social media using the hashtags #HandsOffMyBC and #LicenseToDiscriminate.
\u201c\u201cBirth control lets women achieve their professional and educational goals.\u201d @ACOGAction #handsoffmyBC #LicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— National Women's Law Center (@National Women's Law Center) 1507914507
\u201cWe are at the White House to fight back against Donald Trump's attacks on women's health. #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— ACLU People Power (@ACLU People Power) 1507914799
\u201c.@ReproRights: We see you trying to stigmatize us and steal our health care. #HandsOffMyBC #NoLicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— NAF (@NAF) 1507914314
\u201c.@HRC rallied at the White House to condemn Trump-Pence\u2019s #LicenseToDiscriminate and to tell this administration #HandsOffMyBC.\u201d— Human Rights Campaign (@Human Rights Campaign) 1507922100
\u201cBirth control is health care \u2014 & it must be treated as such. We won't let the Trump admin roll back all our progress! #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1507916629
Religious groups and faith leaders who spoke at the rally argued that it is immoral to deprive women of access to contraception.
\u201cCatholics for Choice is here to speak out and join the fight to protect conscience and preserve real religious liberty #handsoffmybc\u201d— Catholics for Choice (@Catholics for Choice) 1507917571
\u201c"I'm here on behalf of millions of people of faith who believe it's IMMORAL to take away access to birth control" #HandsOffMyBC @SideofLove\u201d— TheTaskForce (@TheTaskForce) 1507920240
Some female members of Congress expressed solidarity with the protesters on Twitter.
\u201cWe cannot stop raising our voices on this issue and demanding that #POTUS and the #GOP-led Congress keep their #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Louise Slaughter (@Louise Slaughter) 1507921560
\u201cNo one should fear being discriminated against because of their boss\u2019 religion. That\u2019s why we say no #LicenseToDiscriminate & #HandsOffMyBC!\u201d— Rep. Diana DeGette (@Rep. Diana DeGette) 1507921535
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LGBTQ organizations, legal rights groups, and reproductive rights advocates rallied outside the White House on Friday to protest the Trump administration's latest attempts to use religious beliefs to justify discrimination and limit access to birth control.
Specifically, they gathered to oppose President Donald Trump's recent decision to roll back the birth control mandate--jeopardizing access to contraception for millions of women--and a "religious freedom" memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that the Justice Department will allow employers to use religious or moral beliefs as a defense against discrimination allegations.
Faith leaders, doctors, and leaders of various national organizations addressed the crowd gathered in D.C. Between speakers, those gathered chanted "not the church, not the state, women must decide our fate," and "our bodies, our lives, our right to decide!"
Rally participants included members of reproductive rights groups such as the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood as well as major legal advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Health Law Program, and the National Women's Law Center, one of the event's main organizers.
LGBTQ organizations such the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force were also represented, as was Catholics For Choice, a group which believes "that the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health."
Rights groups shared images and updates from the rally on social media using the hashtags #HandsOffMyBC and #LicenseToDiscriminate.
\u201c\u201cBirth control lets women achieve their professional and educational goals.\u201d @ACOGAction #handsoffmyBC #LicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— National Women's Law Center (@National Women's Law Center) 1507914507
\u201cWe are at the White House to fight back against Donald Trump's attacks on women's health. #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— ACLU People Power (@ACLU People Power) 1507914799
\u201c.@ReproRights: We see you trying to stigmatize us and steal our health care. #HandsOffMyBC #NoLicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— NAF (@NAF) 1507914314
\u201c.@HRC rallied at the White House to condemn Trump-Pence\u2019s #LicenseToDiscriminate and to tell this administration #HandsOffMyBC.\u201d— Human Rights Campaign (@Human Rights Campaign) 1507922100
\u201cBirth control is health care \u2014 & it must be treated as such. We won't let the Trump admin roll back all our progress! #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1507916629
Religious groups and faith leaders who spoke at the rally argued that it is immoral to deprive women of access to contraception.
\u201cCatholics for Choice is here to speak out and join the fight to protect conscience and preserve real religious liberty #handsoffmybc\u201d— Catholics for Choice (@Catholics for Choice) 1507917571
\u201c"I'm here on behalf of millions of people of faith who believe it's IMMORAL to take away access to birth control" #HandsOffMyBC @SideofLove\u201d— TheTaskForce (@TheTaskForce) 1507920240
Some female members of Congress expressed solidarity with the protesters on Twitter.
\u201cWe cannot stop raising our voices on this issue and demanding that #POTUS and the #GOP-led Congress keep their #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Louise Slaughter (@Louise Slaughter) 1507921560
\u201cNo one should fear being discriminated against because of their boss\u2019 religion. That\u2019s why we say no #LicenseToDiscriminate & #HandsOffMyBC!\u201d— Rep. Diana DeGette (@Rep. Diana DeGette) 1507921535
LGBTQ organizations, legal rights groups, and reproductive rights advocates rallied outside the White House on Friday to protest the Trump administration's latest attempts to use religious beliefs to justify discrimination and limit access to birth control.
Specifically, they gathered to oppose President Donald Trump's recent decision to roll back the birth control mandate--jeopardizing access to contraception for millions of women--and a "religious freedom" memo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that the Justice Department will allow employers to use religious or moral beliefs as a defense against discrimination allegations.
Faith leaders, doctors, and leaders of various national organizations addressed the crowd gathered in D.C. Between speakers, those gathered chanted "not the church, not the state, women must decide our fate," and "our bodies, our lives, our right to decide!"
Rally participants included members of reproductive rights groups such as the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood as well as major legal advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Health Law Program, and the National Women's Law Center, one of the event's main organizers.
LGBTQ organizations such the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force were also represented, as was Catholics For Choice, a group which believes "that the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health."
Rights groups shared images and updates from the rally on social media using the hashtags #HandsOffMyBC and #LicenseToDiscriminate.
\u201c\u201cBirth control lets women achieve their professional and educational goals.\u201d @ACOGAction #handsoffmyBC #LicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— National Women's Law Center (@National Women's Law Center) 1507914507
\u201cWe are at the White House to fight back against Donald Trump's attacks on women's health. #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— ACLU People Power (@ACLU People Power) 1507914799
\u201c.@ReproRights: We see you trying to stigmatize us and steal our health care. #HandsOffMyBC #NoLicenseToDiscriminate\u201d— NAF (@NAF) 1507914314
\u201c.@HRC rallied at the White House to condemn Trump-Pence\u2019s #LicenseToDiscriminate and to tell this administration #HandsOffMyBC.\u201d— Human Rights Campaign (@Human Rights Campaign) 1507922100
\u201cBirth control is health care \u2014 & it must be treated as such. We won't let the Trump admin roll back all our progress! #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1507916629
Religious groups and faith leaders who spoke at the rally argued that it is immoral to deprive women of access to contraception.
\u201cCatholics for Choice is here to speak out and join the fight to protect conscience and preserve real religious liberty #handsoffmybc\u201d— Catholics for Choice (@Catholics for Choice) 1507917571
\u201c"I'm here on behalf of millions of people of faith who believe it's IMMORAL to take away access to birth control" #HandsOffMyBC @SideofLove\u201d— TheTaskForce (@TheTaskForce) 1507920240
Some female members of Congress expressed solidarity with the protesters on Twitter.
\u201cWe cannot stop raising our voices on this issue and demanding that #POTUS and the #GOP-led Congress keep their #HandsOffMyBC\u201d— Louise Slaughter (@Louise Slaughter) 1507921560
\u201cNo one should fear being discriminated against because of their boss\u2019 religion. That\u2019s why we say no #LicenseToDiscriminate & #HandsOffMyBC!\u201d— Rep. Diana DeGette (@Rep. Diana DeGette) 1507921535
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