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For Immediate Release
March, 17 2009, 10:52am EDT
Contact:
Jean Stevens, CODEPINK national media coordinator, 508-769-2138
Rae Abileah, CODEPINK local groups coordinator, 415-994-1723
CODEPINK Women Across America to Mark Iraq War's Sixth Anniversary
Call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, aid to Afghanistan, end to war economy
Nationwide
To recognize and mourn six tragic years of war in Iraq, CODEPINK
women across America on its anniversary this year will host rallies,
film screenings, marches and conferences, connecting the failing U.S.
economy with continued military spending.
WHAT: CODEPINK events nationwide organized around sixth anniversary of Iraq War, occupation of Afghanistan
WHEN: March 18 to March 28
WHERE: Cities and towns across America
This March 18 to 28, most will call on Pres. Obama to keep his campaign
promise to withdraw all troops from Iraq by early 2010, urge him to
stop any military efforts in Afghanistan and rely on diplomacy first
and last. They will also call for investigation and prosecution of U.S.
officials, proper care for American veterans and refugees.
"After six devastating years of war, thousands of people from San
Francisco to Central Florida are planning inspiring marches, vigils,
film screenings and more to continue the call for end to war, proper
care for veterans, and a reinvestment in America," said Rae Abileah,
CODEPINK's local groups' coordinator. "In every pocket of the country
this month, they'll tell Obama they want U.S.-Middle East foreign
relations to be replaced with diplomacy and peaceful solutions."
Born in the lead up to the Iraq War in 2003, CODEPINK Women for Peace
has become a vibrant, creative voice in the peace movement, an outlet
especially for women in the United States and worldwide. The consistent
hard work of thousands in more than 200 chapters worldwide has helped
to turn public opinion against the atrocities of the wars in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Gaza.
Nearly two dozen sixth anniversary events are planned thus far
nationwide, and more are currently being finalized. For updated
information, please visit the CODEPINK website here or call Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, at 508-769-2138.
Tempe, AZ: March 19
* 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Vigil, talk with Robert Reich, Secretary of
Labor under Pres. Clinton, and social @ Arizona State University.
Contact: Liz Hourican at endthewarcoalition@cox.net
Bay Area, CA: March 19-21
* Week of actions include United for Peace and Justice vigils at BART stations.
* 11 a.m. March 21 Rally/march from Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero) to Civic Center Plaza.
Led by the ANSWER coalition. Contact: rae@codepinkalert.org. For more information, visit here.
Washington, DC: March 21
* 12 p.m March on the Pentagon to say "Bring the Troops Home NOW!" begins @ 23rd & Constitution.
More than 1,300 organizations and individuals have endorsed. Contact: Blaine Clarke, blaine@codepinkalert.org.
Largo, Fl.: March 19
* 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All day rally calling for immediate withdrawal of troops, closing of bases @ Clock Tower, City Park.
Hosted by Florida Peace Action Network. Contact" Heidi Ferrara, heidi@riseuptampabay.com.
Melbourne, Fl.: March 28
* 2 p.m. Mass march from @ Front Street Park (2205 Front Street) to Melbourne City Hall.
Hosted by Patriots for Peace, Humanists for Peace, and Central Florida Veterans for Peace. Contact: Jeff Nall, sabletide@yahoo.com .
Fort Myers, Fl.: March 19
* 12 p.m. "Eyes Wide Open!" shoe display of fallen Iraqi
civilians and US Troops @ Centennial Park, downtown Fort Myers at the
river.
Sponsored
by Environmental and Peace Education Center, AFSC, Military Families
Speak Out, CODEPINK SW FL. Contact: Holley Rauen, hrauen@comcast.net.
Tampa, Fl.: March 19
* 4:30 to 6 p.m. Protest of six years of illegal occupation,
call for jobs and education @ Federal Courthouse, 801 N Florida Ave,
Tampa.
Sponsored by CODEPINK Tampa Bay, Citizens for Sanity. Contact: Heidi Ferrara, heidi@riseuptampabay.com.
Wichita, KS: March 20
* 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Speak out against the wars --
Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine -- @ East 2nd and Mead at the Warren
Old Town Square.
Sponsored by Peace and Social Justice Center, Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom and others. Contact: Peace Center, staff@wichitapeace.org.
Muskegon, MI: March 21
* 12:30 to 6 p.m. Day of workshops and round-table discussions
surrounding veterans' concerns @ Bethany Christian Reformed Church,
1105 Terrace St.
Sponsored by CODEPINK, Community of Veterans, Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs and more. Contact Terrie Hampel at terrieham@hotmail.com.
Columbia, MO: March 21
* 1 p.m. Rally to end the wars @ Courthouse Square, 814 E Walnut.
Sponsored by Columbia Peace Coalition, St. Louis Instead of War Coalition. Contact Mid Missouri Peaceworks at mail@midmopeaceworks.org
Kansas City, MO: March 22
* 2 p.m. Screening of "War Made Easy" film, narrated by Sean Penn, @ organizer's home.
For location and more information, contact coordinator Deanna Kline at klinedeanna@rocketmail.com.
New York, NY:
* 12 p.m. March 18 CODEPINK, Granny Peace Brigade mark Time Square's Military Island a "crime scene" @ 44th St. and Broadway recruitment center.
* 6 p.m. Documentary "Operation Lysistrata" screening with panel discussion @ Int'l Youth Hostel, 891 Amsterdam Ave.
Sponsored by CODEPINK NYC, Peace Action New York and others. Contact: Nancy Kricorian, nancy@codepinkalert.org.
Philadelphia, PA: March 19
* 12 p.m. Rally on March 19 at Philadelphia City Hall, Market & Broad Sts.
Sponsored by Brandywine Peace Community, Delaware River Area CODEPINK and more. Contact: Domenic Roberti, droberti@sju.edu.
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
(818) 275-7232LATEST NEWS
With No Mention of US-Israeli Aggression, UN Security Council Condemns Iranian Retaliation
"The very purpose of this biased and politically motivated text, which was pushed by the Israeli regime and the United States, is clear: to reverse the roles of victim and aggressor," said Iran's ambassador to the UN.
Mar 12, 2026
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning Iran's retaliatory attacks on Gulf nations without denouncing—or even mentioning—the illegal US and Israeli bombing campaign that started the war, which has hurled the region into conflict and destabilized the global economy.
The resolution, sponsored by council member and US ally Bahrain, "condemns in the strongest terms the egregious attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan," nations that host US military bases. The text calls Iranian strikes "a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security," but contains no mention of the US or Israel, nations that have been accused of grave war crimes.
The council adopted Bahrain's measure by a vote of 13-0, with two abstentions—China and Russia. Both nations have veto power but declined to use it. Neither Iran nor Israel is currently a member of the Security Council.
The UN body also voted on a competing resolution, sponsored by Russia, that would have implored "all parties"—without naming any of them—to stop their military operations and avoid escalating the conflict. The resolution did not receive the nine votes necessary for adoption, with the US and Latvia voting against it and Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, France, Greece, Liberia, Panama, and the United Kingdom abstaining.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, said the body's adoption of Bahrain's resolution marks "a serious setback to the council’s credibility and leaves a lasting stain on its record."
"Today’s action represents a blatant misuse of the Security Council’s mandate in pursuit of the political agendas of certain members," said Iravani. "The very state responsible for this brutal war of aggression against my country—the regime of the United States—sits on the other side of this chamber as president of the council, abusing its position while obstructing every effort to bring an end to this barbaric war against the Iranian people and preventing the Council from fulfilling its Charter-based responsibilities."
"This resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression. It distorts the realities on the ground and deliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis," he continued. "The very purpose of this biased and politically motivated text, which was pushed by the Israeli regime and the United States, is clear: to reverse the roles of victim and aggressor. It rewards the regimes of the United States and Israel, which have violated the UN Charter and committed acts of aggression. In doing so, it establishes impunity and sends a wrong message to the international community—emboldening the aggressors to commit further crimes."
"The UN and International Criminal Court were created for moments like this, when the most powerful decide the rules do not apply to them."
Ahead of the vote on Bahrain's resolution, which accuses Iran of "deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects," Iravani said US-Israeli bombing has killed more than 1,300 civilians in Iran and destroyed nearly 10,000 civilian structures across the country, including around 8,000 homes and dozens of schools and healthcare facilities.
Earlier on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon has reached the preliminary conclusion that US forces were responsible for the February 28 bombing of an Iranian elementary school, an attack that killed around 175 people—mostly young children.
DAWN, a nonprofit that supports human rights and democracy in the Middle East, said Wednesday that "mounting evidence" shows US and Israeli forces "have committed multiple war crimes" in Iran and Lebanon—which is facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian disaster due to Israeli attacks.
"In mere days, US and Israel forces have launched a war of choice, killed hundreds of civilians, displaced hundreds of thousands, bombed scores of schools, health facilities, and fuel depots, and dropped white phosphorus on civilian communities," Omar Shakir, DAWN's executive director, said in a statement. "The international community's failure to act when the most fundamental norms of international law are being challenged risks plunging the world further into a lawless era in which civilians across the globe are at risk."
"The UN and International Criminal Court were created for moments like this, when the most powerful decide the rules do not apply to them," said Shakir. "Governments unwilling to invoke international law when their allies commit crimes have no credibility when they invoke it against rivals."
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From Lebanon to Iran, Says Sanders, US Must End Complicity in 'Netanyahu's Wars'
"In less than two weeks, Israel has killed 570 people and displaced 750,000—over 10% of the entire country," the senator said of Lebanon. "Residential buildings are being bombed with no warning."
Mar 11, 2026
Just a day after tearing into US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "unraveling international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the legitimacy of the United Nations" with their illegal war on Iran, Sen. Bernie Sanders stressed that "it's not just Iran."
"It's Lebanon," Sanders (I-Vt.) said on social media Wednesday. Since Trump and Netanyahu began bombing Iran a dozen days ago, Israel has also ramped up attacks against its northern neighbor—claiming to target the Lebanese political and paramilitary group Hezbollah—despite a November 2024 ceasefire deal.
That agreement to protect the Lebanese people was struck just over a year into Israel's retaliation for the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, which has also left the Gaza Strip in ruins. Despite the Lebanon truce, and another for Gaza reached this past October, Israeli forces have continued to slaughter civilians in both places.
In Lebanon, Sanders noted Wednesday, "in less than two weeks, Israel has killed 570 people and displaced 750,000—over 10% of the entire country. Residential buildings are being bombed with no warning."
"The US cannot continue to be complicit in Netanyahu's wars," declared the senator. His comments came after the White House tried to walk back Secretary of State Marco Rubio's suggestion last week that Trump followed the Israeli prime minister's lead on Iran.
Sanders has also criticized and even attempted to curb US complicity in Netanyahu's genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza—under the Biden and Trump administrations—by forcing unsuccessful votes to cut off some weapons to Israel.
The Israeli government has used the operation against Iran—which experts argue violates the US Constitution and UN Charter—to again cut off necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza, claiming last week that "the existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period."
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, called the move "a new chokehold on Gaza," adding that "after more than two years of unspeakable suffering and a spreading man-made famine, people still lack the most basic supplies, despite increases in aid since the ceasefire.
As for Lebanon, Axios reported Monday that "the Lebanese government proposed direct negotiations with Israel—through the Trump administration—aimed at ending the war and reaching a peace agreement."
However, the Financial Times reported Tuesday that "Israel has rejected diplomatic overtures by Lebanon," with one unnamed source saying that the Lebanese "are ready to talk to Israel, but under the condition of a cessation of fire. Not a ceasefire, but a cessation... so talks can get going in Cyprus."
"Israel has so far refused and says it will only negotiate 'under fire,'" according to that unnamed source.
Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, made US support for Israel's bombing of Lebanon clear in his Wednesday remarks to the UN Security Council.
"The United States condemns the attacks that Hezbollah, a long-time proxy of the Iranian regime, has launched against Israel. Hezbollah has yet again made it clear that it does not represent nor does it defend the people of Lebanon. It defends the interests of the Iranian regime," Waltz said, stressing Israel's "right to defend itself."
Waltz also welcomed the Lebanese Council of Ministers' recent decision "to immediately prohibit Hezbollah’s military and security activities," and declared that "now is the time for the government of Lebanon to take back control of the entirety of its country."
Meanwhile, Tom Fletcher, United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, noted to the Security Council that UN Secretary-General António Guterres "has insisted... we need the protection of civilians, de-escalation, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and genuine dialogue and negotiations towards a peaceful settlement, in line with the charter."
Fletcher concluded his comments at the briefing on Lebanon with calls for the protection of "all civilians throughout the region," "generous funding for a principled, scaled-up humanitarian response," and "a revival of strategic, calm, rational, hopeful diplomacy."
"Lebanon is exhausted by other people's wars," he said. "It is not asking for help, but for oxygen. Its people can defy the history, the geography, even the politics. They can be stronger than the forces pulling them apart. But they can only do that if Iran and Israel stop fighting their war in Lebanon."
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Group That Convinced Wyoming Supreme Court to Block Abortion Ban Fights New Law
"This new law is part of a relentless campaign by anti-abortion extremists who continue to push restrictions regardless of settled law, patient safety, or basic compassion," said one critic.
Mar 11, 2026
A reproductive rights group coalition that recently got two anti-abortion laws overturned in Wyoming's Supreme Court filed a legal challenge on Tuesday against the insidiously named "fetal heartbeat" legislation signed earlier this week by the state's Republican governor.
The advocacy groups Chelsea's Fund and Just the Pill; Wellspring Health Access, Wyoming's only abortion clinic; and three physicians filed a motion seeking to block HB 0126, the so-called Human Heartbeat Act, which was signed Monday by Gov. Mark Gordon.
The law bans abortion when there is a "detectable fetal heartbeat." Critics note that the term "fetal heartbeat" is medically inaccurate and misleading, as what can be detected with a transvaginal ultrasound at around six weeks of gestation is not an actual heartbeat, but rather electrical activity in fetal tissue that later develops into a heart.
The legislation contains an exception to “preserve the woman from an imminent peril that substantially endangers her life or health, according to appropriate medical judgment," but forces victims of rape and incest to carry their abusers' fetus to term.
The “uNfOrTuNaTe fLaW” he's referring to is that the state's abortion ban has no rape or incest exception. 🤬But this is no accident; these policies are DESIGNED to violate our basic human rights. For the extremists who champion these violent laws, this is a feature, not a bug.
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— Center for Reproductive Rights (@reprorights.org) March 11, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Gordon called the glaring lack of exceptions for rape or incest "an unfortunate flaw."
Wyoming's Republican-dominated Legislature passed the law after the state Supreme Court struck down two other pieces of forced-birth legislation in January.
One of the overturned laws outlawed abortion in nearly all cases, except when the pregnant patient’s life is in danger or for victims of rape or incest. The other banned abortion pills. Both laws were passed after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reversing half a century of federal abortion rights.
In striking down the laws, the state's high court ruled that they violated residents' ability to make their own healthcare decisions—a right enshrined in the Wyoming Constitution.
The groups challenging the new law echoed the ruling in their motion, arguing the legislation "transgresses the constitutional guarantee of plaintiffs’ and individuals’ to make healthcare decisions without interference from the government."
Chelsea's Fund executive director Janean Forsyth expressed dismay over state lawmakers' relentless attacks on healthcare.
“I'm thinking about everyone from the 15-year-old that we supported, whose grandmother actually reached out, a victim of sexual assault,” Forsyth told Wyoming Public Radio on Wednesday. “I'm thinking about a family with a very wanted pregnancy that we supported in eventually seeking an abortion for a severe fetal anomaly.”
"It's not only affecting access to abortion care, it's affecting reproductive healthcare access generally for parents and children, which is really unfortunate,” she added, referring to medical professionals who are leaving the state for fear of prosecution.
On Wednesday, Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), said in a statement:
A mere two months after two abortion bans were struck down by the state’s Supreme Court, Wyoming’s anti-abortion leaders have enacted yet another ban despite clear judicial rulings and public support for the constitutional right to make personal healthcare decisions. This new law is part of a relentless campaign by anti-abortion extremists who continue to push restrictions regardless of settled law, patient safety, or basic compassion.
“But as they have before, providers are standing firm and fighting back," Fonteno added. "NAF is proud to support Wellspring Health Access and the advocates challenging this ban, and we remain committed to ensuring abortion care is not only legal, but accessible and protected for every person, in every state.”
Abortion access has been tenuous in Wyoming in recent years, with bans and a 2022 arson attack on the Wellspring Health Access clinic in Casper—the state's only full-service abortion facility—causing uncertainty and delays.
Lawmakers in Wyoming considered putting the issue before voters in a referendum but decided against doing so, as such ballot measures have repeatedly resulted in the protection of abortion rights—even in deep "red" and conservative-leaning states including Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, and Ohio.
Wyoming is the fifth state to ban abortion at around six weeks, joining Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and South Carolina.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 13 states currently have near-total abortion bans, while 28 other states restrict the procedure. Numerous forced-birth bills are pending across the nation, and—while unlikely to pass—the most severe proposals including punishing the medical procedure with lengthy imprisonment and even the death penalty for healthcare providers and patients.
Wyoming’s governor signed into law a so-called “fetal heartbeat” ban. Abortion is now banned in the state when “cardiac activity” is detected, around 6 wks of pregnancy. WY now shifts from “Restrictive” to “Very Restrictive” on our interactive map. Learn more: https://gu.tt/4985P4S#AbortionAccess
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— Guttmacher (@guttmacher.org) March 11, 2026 at 6:00 AM
On Monday, the Center for Reproductive Rights published a report examining the human and economic toll of abortion bans, which a separate study last year by the Population Reference Bureau has linked to 478 excess infant deaths and 59 excess deaths of pregnant people since Roe was struck down nearly four years ago.
It's not only state-level bans that harm patients. Republicans' so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last year, contains the biggest cuts to Medicaid in the program's 60-year history. Dramatically decreased Medicaid funding has resulted in the closure of at least 50 Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide, and the reduction of services at many others.
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