 Good morning, everyone. We're so honored to be here with you. We're gonna play a little bit of music and feel all our feelings Thank you so much to everyone at Planned Parenthood for organizing this and for everyone's presence I'd like to send this next one out to the Supreme Court. It's a song about and it's called You Got Problems It's called One More Day. It's a love song to Vermont. We wrote this song about about the bread and puppet theater being inspired by them and All the work that they do in the world It's about running away to the circus. It's called Take Me With You of their fate capitalism It's slippery with its simplifications Or taster and slaves begin to call the shots Angels when it feels like call the shots Father peace Angels wings tonight This is Bob Wagner on the guitar. Josh Weinstein on the bass. My name is Kat Wright. We live in the Burlington area We've these last You know six years We've never been more proud to be from Vermont and part of this community and part of your world And thank you so much for being who you are and for standing up always always always for what is right and what is fair This next song is a song about Healing from trauma Which is definitely something that we all need after the last few years and What we're going through right now and it's called reminder in case you forget that You are made to heal as well and to transform and to take the best of your difficult times and Leave the rest Let go they can't hurt you and if you well, it's wild and Morphosite let yourself be ready transmute is to make yourself face the truth They can hear the score and all gets written But also inside remember you have all that you need To get home and this one out to the Supreme Court as well. It's called you let me down Tell me up in big teacher. Tell me that the world. They've got us all linked and trade Everybody's on in the face and too big machine We kill everything We don't want to say all just in various phases of all Just in various phases of falling apart And it's hard if you need it takes there the truth doesn't see a lot of that Still people don't believe all just in various phase just in various phase Thank you so much for having us again. We're so honored to be here with you all today it's actually difficult to Look at your signs and your your beauty and your strength while I'm singing because I will start crying because this is so Insane that this is real life and that we have to have these signs but Thank you for being here and let's keep fighting And thank you for your presence We love you Vermont. We love you people of Vermont. We love you values of Vermont Thank you so much for everything that you do. That's the energy that I'm looking for It doesn't matter if it's hot, but we have ice cream. So that takes care of that Thank you so much cat right trio for that amazing performance you guys Let's give them another round of applause All for joining us today My name is with ease Allah I'm the host of an international radio show called with ease Bollywood jukebox and I'm very happy to be the emcee for today's rally So thanks, I want to cover some logistics before we start There are some restrooms available there for every for everyone to use and For everybody's safety. We recommend you wear a mask during the rally, especially when you're hardly close together a big thank you to our Organizations who have tables here Please make sure to visit them. They have a lot of important information to share that is important for Vermonters Please drink water and stay hydrated. It's really hard today and we want you to be comfortable and safe There are bottles of water at the plant parenthood and a CLU tables Those tents are right at the beginning there. So please please help yourself Before we kick off the program We have content warnings for Themes including abortion and sexual assault some of these conversations can be difficult for people So please do whatever is necessary to take care of yourself Throughout today's program if you need assistance, please visit the plant parenthood table and And I would like to give a big thank you to our co-hosts for today's rally They are plan parenthood Vermont Action Fund a CLU of Vermont Vermont League of Women's Waters Alliance for a better Vermont rights and democracy Vermont Public Interest Research Group Vermont conservation water and Finally the Vermont NEA We are going to kick off this rally by inviting on stage None other than Senator Bernie Sanders please Give it up for him. Thank you and thank you all very much For being here Today we are proud to be Vermonters Because we know that our small state is Prepared to lead this country and no matter what happens around America We are very clear. It is women who have the right to control their bodies Not politicians. So that just a few days ago in the Senate We lost a vote To pass the Women's Health Protection Act My view is that we're going to bring that bill up again and again The filibuster Bill we will pass that bill in Washington. There is As all of you know no end to the lies and the hypocrisy But on this issue, I think my right-wing colleagues have outdone themselves often Have we heard right-wing senators and members of the house say Get government off our backs. We don't want to wear a mask. Don't force us to wear a mask We don't want to get a vaccine Don't force us to get a vaccine But somehow these very Same people Think it is appropriate To tell every woman in this country what she could do with their bodies We say to our right-wing colleagues End this outrageous hypocrisy If you believe in human freedom, you know what freedom extends to women in this country as well The other hypocrisy that is involved Is that the loudest voices in this country Who want to deny a woman the right to choose? Who think they have the right to force women to have babies when they don't want to? These are exactly the same people Who will never lift a finger to help women families and children in this country American rescue plan we took a major step forward to cut childhood poverty By expanding and extended the children's tax credit It took 41 lower childhood poverty By 41 percent we could not get one republican vote To extend that program We can't get any republican support to deal with the crisis in childcare and make that affordable We can't get one republican vote To do what every other major country on earth does and have paid family and medical leave So these right-wing ideologues Who think they have the right to tell every woman woman in this country what she could do with their body? They are prepared to say to these very same women you got to go back to work a week after you give birth How outrageous is that? Look this struggle against patriarchy Is not a new struggle Women have been treated as second or third class Americans since the inception of this country Women did not have the right to vote until the 1920s Women needed a listen to this. I didn't know this until recently women needed a cosigner for a bank loan up until 1974 until the 1980s If some guy husband or boyfriend was beating beating up his spouse It was considered a domestic issue police Should not be involved and throughout history and even today Women are struggling to get the jobs that they want So this struggle has gone on for a very very long time But what we are saying today Loudly and clearly Is we are not going back. We are going forward Past 50 years ago Recognizing the constitutional right Of every woman in this country to control her own body. We are not going backward Others and sisters. I don't have to tell you That we are in the midst of a major major political struggle in this country on many many fronts But I am confident that in this state and I want to say something now to the men Who are here today and we thank you all for coming out Because in my very strong view And I know people say this is a women's issue. I don't think so I think this is a human rights issue It was ever a time in american history Where the men had to stand with the women. This is that moment So let us go forward together With our brothers and sisters all over this country with the vast majority of the american people Make it clear we will not accept the overturning of roe v. Wade. We will not accept Women becoming second or third class citizens. We're going to defeat this in every way we can. Thank you all very much So we obviously had to invite senator sanders but This land acknowledgement has been written by maddie nelson Who is a rising senior at the university of vermont? Maddie is the first Maddie is the first indigenous woman student body president for 11 000 plus students Be here today, but she provided a beautiful land acknowledgement, which I will read now Vermont is located on the waters and lands Which have long served as a site of meeting and exchange among indigenous peoples for thousands of years And is home to the western arbinaki people Vermont should seek to honor recognize and respect these places these peoples, especially the arbinaki They are the traditional stewards of the waters and lands and continue to be in this present day In that resolution today We will begin by acknowledging that the state of vermont Is a guest on this land and that many of the individuals in our vermont community are guests as well indigenous peoples and cultures Are still present on this land and within our community The state's role as a guest is to respect the waters and lands that are within our use To acknowledge and incorporate the indigenous knowledge that is interwoven into this land And work with local indigenous communities to learn what can be further done While the land acknowledgement is an essential starting point There is much work ahead as we come to terms with the legacies and trauma of indigenous dispossession Thank you. Thank you so much maddie I would now like to introduce kell arbor kell kell is the director of the health and wellness program at pride center of vermont. Please help me welcome kell Thank you so much Ahoy My name is kell arbor. That's kelly without a why because I don't wonder why Yeah, my pronouns are warrior and they and I am the director of health and wellness at the pride center Thank you. Taylor small for the tiara I'm here today to call in intersectionality with each identity that we hold ability race gender nationality sexuality etc The more stigmatized the identity is the higher chance of sickness and poor health You might not see me as someone needing vaginal care I am a person assigned female at birth. I roll with a vulva As a gender queer kid. I told myself hang on someday. You'll get that hysterectomy But doctor knows best and my youthful fertility was not to be tampered with I did finally get that hysterectomy but only because I I lived for years with cysts A few years after I had my womb renovated We found out I was dying with an AIDS diagnosis The lack of providers understanding the intersections of my gender and sexuality Did not help us detect hibs soon enough I received better health care from my providers now, but it's still subpar to what I need Non-binary and trans folks like me people of color and people with disabilities We are extra in need of sexual health and reproductive liberty We are left intentionally out of the conversation as if we do not exist I know I am a unicorn alien, but I am real What we need is people-centered care. It is my body and my choice for all choices Listen y'all. I want to hear you say that I want you to raise your voice when I say my body I want you to scream my choice. We're going to do it three times my body My body Now is the time to take the lead of people with lived experience Harm reduction reminds us that everyone is a unique individual Ask what our needs are in a respectful and dignified way Uplift and center leaders with the most marginalized lived experience For example people of color, trans and non-binary people and people with disabilities Fear accomplices out there and disrupt the harm that you're seeing Our relationships are power Start with the closest people you care about and call in lean in to learning discomfort and action The reproductive liberty amendment directly impacts our work in vermont to uplift LGBTQ plus people out of stigma and sickness and into liberation This impacts all of our lives Reproductive liberty affects us all It's not just a woman's issue. This is about vasectomies. This is about all of our bodies This amendment would be a good move for vermont and we lead the nation in good But good is mediocre Great is what we need and I see that greatness potential in vermont Let us not stop until black and brown women fends and trans people can live in liberation Let us celebrate these small changes and keep stepping into freedom Let us bring the visibility of love and togetherness into the streets Let us be the change we want to see in the world. Thank you. Thank you, kale And now I would like to bring on stage. I would like to invite on stage Hannah brisley Hannah is the northern vermont organizer with plan parenthood vermont action fund. Take it away, Hannah I'm at guy laying here It's time to get cathartic. We're going to continue with the chanting. We're all angry. This anger is just let's get it out of our systems Let's express it. Let's do it together. Let's be collective about it All right. So the chant is when bigots attack We fight back when bigots attack How do you shading county Franklin county and grand aisle hit me up if you want to get involved? Thank you all for being here. Thank you, Hannah It is my pleasure to now introduce on stage Dr. Harry Chen Dr. Chen Was the commissioner of health in vermont and is now the treasurer of the vermont for reproductive liberty Camping helped me welcome. Dr. Harry Chen. Good afternoon everybody It's really great to be with all of you today and thank you so much for showing up in support for reproductive rights I'd first like to thank our entire congressional delegation. I call them small but mighty We heard from senator bernie sanders senator patrick lehi And congressman peter welch who actually happens to be sitting on the steps back there I want to thank them for their support of reproductive rights here in vermont And at the national level I'd also like to thank governor phil scott for his support of reproductive liberty amendment in vermont And of course, i'm so grateful to our vermont legislators who passed the reproductive liberty amendment twice So that it will now be on the ballot in November Congressman welch has always been a champion for us in congress and I know he will fight to get legislation passed to codify roe He never waivers on these critical issues and we're lucky to have him in congress congressman welch is co-sponsoring a resolution opposing criminalization of essential health care I mean really I never thought I'd Hear that or think about that The resolution expresses the opposition of the house of representatives to the criminalization of essential health care including Sexual the full range of sexual reproductive health care such as abortion gender affirming care and contraceptive care And disapproving of the criminalization Of pregnancy outcomes This resolution makes it clear that no person should be arrested, indicted or prosecuted for the outcome of their own pregnancy And that people deserve access to health care without fear or punishment. Thank you congressman welch Now the recent leak of the draft decision by the supreme court To overturn roe v wade forecasts a major shift in almost 50 years of reproductive health care in america This is outrageous and it's really for us and for me and everyone here called to action The reproductive liberty amendment is the proposed amendment to the vermont constitution that guarantees the right To personal reproductive liberty for all vermonters How is not the time for complacency? Vermont must lead the way and pass it in november Its passage ensures access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care and vermoner's rights to make their own decision In terms of becoming pregnant to use temper or permanent growth control or to seek abortion care It would be easy to characterize the reproductive liberty amendment as political or a moral issue But at its core it's about the public's health Reproductive health care is intensely private Personal and should be firmly a matter between providers and most importantly patients I saw this firsthand as an emergency physician spending most of my career here in vermont Unfettered access to quality reproductive health care is essential to a healthy population The potential action By the supreme court overturning roe Will have profound effects on health the health of americans and while abortions will still be legal here in vermont We need stronger protections provided by the rla America already has the highest rate of maternal mortality among Developed countries double the rate of most high-income countries and the rate sadly is increasing The rate of increase is even greater for women of color or who live in poverty Reachers should say that banning abortion could increase paternal deaths by more than 20 percent Every year 60,000 women suffer consequences from labor and delivery. This too will likely increase with the overturning of roe 26 states are poised to restrict access to abortion for over 36 million people if roe is overturned by the court Removing access to safe and legal abortion will set the us back even further regarding Returnal health and worsened existing health disparities Women and girls will be injured Some will likely die from illegal Unsafe abortions. This will take us back to a dark time in reproductive health in america Restricting access to safe Restricting access to safe and legal abortions can have profound effects people who are denied abortions have poor health outcomes including mental health and economic hardships including poor credit debt and bankruptcies People who are denied abortions Have to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term experienced lasting impacts on their health well-being and finances There are also negative effects Noted in their children including greater rates of poverty and delayed developmental milestones These are outcomes. We never want to see in remat The vermont legislature has worked hard over the past four years laying the groundwork for the rla Now it's time for vermont voters all of you out there to step up And pass the reproductive liberty amendment This passing the amendment will enshrine reproductive autonomy and self control In our constitution Let us get it done and set a strong message that vermont believes in and will protect reproductive rights for all We can't do this alone If you're able to donate anything You can to reproductive liberty amendment campaign. Please do so. There are posters all over the grounds here With a qr code that will enable you to donate directly to the campaign Five ten twenty dollars will go a long way In reaching our goal to protect reproductive rights In vermont for the long term So thank you so so much for being here And for your vote especially in november. Thank you. Thank you dr. Chen I would now like to introduce our next speaker maroni minter born and raised in gabon maroni moved to vermont in 2004 maroni now works at ben and jerry's please help me welcome maroni Hello, everybody My name is maroni. I'm the u.s. activist manager with ben and jerry's and Before I start let me just say if you haven't got your free ice cream yet the truck is back there So please stop by and get you free ice cream Now I am here today because like so many of you We at ben and jerry's believe and stand for rights of individuals to make reproductive health care's decision for themselves Liberty is central to our freedom and dignity and everyone should have the right to determine their own life course And when it comes when it comes to the most important decisions in life such as whether to become a parent Every person should have the right to determine their own life course regardless Of the race gender religion income or zip code now While abortion has been legal For nearly five decades Many communities have never experienced true access to abortion care because of policies rude rude and systemic racism Black indigenous and people of color do not have access to health care From abortion to prenatal care to preventive care because of the systemic racism and structural inequality Our concerns are often ignored or not taken seriously We have the highest rate of maternal and infant death And we are more likely to be investigated prosecuted and punished for pregnancy outcomes I am speaking not just as an advocate but as a man and a brother of six sisters This is personal to me As mentioned already I come from Gabon where it is extremely difficult to get safe abortion care One of my cousins died during abortion on her own I almost lost two of my sisters because they did not have access to safe abortion In 2019 the second oldest of my sisters was pregnant and afraid of how the family would react. She decided to have an abortion Not having a clinic or a safe place under medical professionals. She bought pills on the street and almost died And it was luck that I happened to be there and had some money Took my sister to the hospital to save her life Now I want to warn you that The worst part of this story contains sexual violence Almost three years ago now my sister finally told me how she got pregnant and why she did not want to keep the baby She was raped by a family member If my sisters had access to safe abortions They would not have put their own lives at risk And I truly believe that if my cousin had access to safe abortion, she would still be alive today Now no one, I mean no one should lose their lives or their loved one because they lack access to safe abortion Now I want to thank all legislators and leaders here today Because while the supreme court leaks makes the deepest fear clear to so many This year vermona has an opportunity to protect abortion rights and become the first state to preserve reproductive Liberty in our constitution If passed by voters in november the reproductive liberty amendment Would guarantee all people who live in vermont the right to become pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term To choose or refuse sterilization To choose abortion and to choose or refuse contraception The constitutional amendment allows people who live in vermona an opportunity to preserve these liberties I urge you to vote yes on the reproductive liberty amendment this november And tell your community member to get out and do so Now let us be clear The supreme court's decision will not only impact women It will impact lgbtq community Which is why we at ben and jerry's are promoting support for the trans community and key states Where regressive policies are being considered or have passed We are pulling billboards in states like texas georgia virginia florida and so on The message on these billboards share our disagreement with these policies being passed We have partnered with the national center for transgender equality To share our support of people who identify as trend in our country and to let people know That brands have a support brand have a place to support communities that we serve The billboards are placed whether in one mile radius to the capital building in each state To make sure that our message To make sure that our message is seen clear and heard loud Now the truth is No matter how the supreme court decides on this case ultimately We at ben and jerry's and our allies across the country will never stop fighting for the right of The videos to make reproductive health care decisions for themselves Thank you. Thank you. Get out in november. Make sure you vote for the reproductive liberty amendment. Thank you maroni I would now like to call upon stage sade bolger Sade is the central vermont organizer with plan parenthood vermont action fund Go for it sade Hey folks How about this cloud? Thank you All right, so i'm gonna leave a little chant. I just want to say one thing before that. Um, i'm transgender So i'm gonna speak to my community here right now if you're here I love you. I see you. I stand by you and I will absolutely die on this hill to protect your rights I'm right here protecting my uterus as well as all of yours. So thank you Thank you for showing up for women today for trans people for non-binary people I love you and we see you here. We are fighting for you All right, so i'm gonna say What do we want gender justice? When do we want it? What do we want? When do we want it? I'm sorry And i'm the volunteer organizer for central vermont in the northeast kingdom So if you want to get involved and have some fun, let me know so much for coming I would like to take this moment To let you all know how you can help pass the reproductive liberty amendment in vermont The amendment will protect our reproductive rights here long term By enshrining these protections in our state constitution Let's get it done and send a strong message that vermont believes in protective reproductive rights for all So if you are able to donate anything that you can to the reproductive liberty amendment campaign There are posters here on the lawn with a qr code that will enable you to donate directly to the campaign Five ten twenty dollars will go a long way in reaching our goal to protect reproductive rights in vermont for a long term So thank you so much for your support Now I would like to introduce reverend jone havia duval Reverend jone is a unitarian universalist minister And a strong supporter of reproductive rights Please give a warm welcome to reverend jone Good to be here with you. I am feeling the power of this crowd of these speakers Are you feeling it this afternoon because my religious faith affirms that our lives and our bodies are sacred Consent and bodily autonomy are foundational to human dignity and self determination And our reproductive freedom is a necessary part of the wellness and flourishing that we all desire And that we all deserve past few months I have heard from friends and loved ones living in vermont and elsewhere Who have experienced the broad array Of joys and sorrows that go along with reproductive choices and realities For one same-sex couple. It's the good news of a long awaited baby born with the support of fertility treatments For another couple. It's the difficult decision to abort a fetus after prenatal testing revealed an adverse health prognosis And earlier this year Just one week before the anniversary of roe versus wade I myself experienced the sadness for a second time of miscarrying early in my pregnancy And navigating my health care options in the aftermath of that loss In this crowd, I am sure there are thousands of stories like these like mine Each day people in all corners of our state and our country face questions and decisions about their reproductive health And each and every one of us ought to be able to use our own sacred conscience and agency To make the decisions that are right for each of us and our families Including the decision to seek an abortion when that is necessary Every woman every person should have the right to make decisions about their bodies and access health care According to your own beliefs and values Every woman every person should have the right to choose whether or not to have children To raise one's children in safe and healthy environments And to be free from oppression or shame and living out one's sexuality And we know that it is unjust and it is harmful when our right to exercise our agency and our conscience is curtailed It is unjust and it is harmful when access is limited to the kind of care that we need to live lives of wholeness and flourishing And the people that are who are hurt most by these restrictions Are those who are already hurting from economic disparities and social inequities Poor people disabled people queer and trans people and people of color No matter your age your gender your religion Your race your sexuality or how much money you have in your bank account We all have the right to make important decisions about our lives Our futures and our bodies and to have access to the care that we need and desire So with these rights under attack vermont's reproductive liberty amendment is critically important to upholding our freedom and dignity We have the opportunity to channel our fear our hurt our anger and our power And I want to say especially to religious leaders and any people in faith communities That now is the time to show up with the best of our Libertory theology and our values for reproductive justice and freedom Let us all use our voice and our vote to make it clear to elected officials and to court justices That our reproductive choices now and in the future are up to each of us So please make sure that you are registered to vote and take a moment today to pledge to vote. Yes on prop five Do whatever you can to turn out your friends your family and your neighbors. Thank you Thank you so much reverend jone Now I would like to introduce meya aga meya is representing southern vermont on behalf of the planned parenthood vermont action fund Take it away meya. First of all, let's start with the champ. How do you get involved? My pleasure to introduce catarina cambell Catarina is a feminist queer woman of color Indigenous person and a survivor Catarina has served on the boards of planned parenthood of northern new england and aclu of vermont Please give a warm welcome to catarina. I'm so grateful that we're together My name is catarina and I am the child of a brave 15 year old girl named edna christina morais cabral An indigenous brazilian who was falsely adopted and sold to a wealthy family where she was used as an indentured servant At age 11 my birth mother ran away Deciding that homelessness was better than continuous abuse She became pregnant with my half sister at 13 And again at 15 with me At the time she was living with both of us under a bridge and working as a domestica or house cleaner Though very clever her choices for survival were limited as she never learned to read or write I am the product of an emergency c-section that almost killed her My mother was forced to carry two pregnancies to term under the age of 16 I wish she could have focused instead on getting herself out of poverty I value my mother's life and my life simultaneously And recognize her well-being reproductive sovereignty and right to care as bound with my own My support of her and of our collective right to reproductive autonomy does not signal a lack of regard for my own life But a cherishing of her life and a recognition that her life is just as sacred as my own Unfortunately, I cannot undo my mother's suffering nor reinstate her right to choice What I can do is support our communities here and now And honor the right to reproductive freedom for all who can become pregnant, which includes people of many genders For example, I am non-binary and I can become pregnant As an indigenous person and member of the disability community The reproductive liberty amendment also makes me feel protected from the past horrors of forced sterilization Passing the reproductive liberty amendment would assure me that unlike my birth mother If I do choose to have a child I can be confident that it will be my choice and at a time when I am well resourced and ready to parent in this world That choice heals generational trauma and is one that we all deserve so much love to each of you Thank you so much Rina that was really good Now I would like to introduce kia morris Who is the executive director at rights and democracy? Please help me welcome kia. I'm actually going to take a selfie because you know what? This is some importance to be able to be here with you all today I want to thank each of our speakers before who have been folks that have shown up and shown out every single day You all are here today because we are standing in solidarity, right? This work has been long coming this work has been necessary a slog That's actually taken entirely too long when you think about the fundamental pieces Of why we have to fight We have a historical precedence in this nation Of ignoring the needs and out rightly coming through To actually limit our body autonomy For the purposes of profit power and greed historical precedence here today We can look at the kidnap The forced marriage And rape of indigenous women at the founding of this nation Pocahontas is not a triumphant story It was determined by those in power That indigenous people needed to be wiped off the planet And that indigenous women's bodies Men's bodies Two spirited bodies needed to not only be regulated but owned Managed and controlled We have a historical precedence Of chattel slavery This country was literally built on using black women's bodies Black men's bodies to create a population of slaves To build these buildings to create these roads to feed our economy Black women have been fighting for their rights to have bodily autonomy Ever since we were snatched off the shores And it is it is it is real to acknowledge That these black women's bodies Are used in the same ways That we would have cattle The same ways that we were spoken of As commodities This heifers good for raising this stud will do great We're going to create a race of blacks to continue To have the physical fortitude To deal with the terrors of slavery This is the historical precedence that is on our precipice right now And if you are not okay with that I want to hear you say that ain't right That there is forced sterilization that is a part of this country's history For sterilization regardless of gender Used both as a tool of terrorism and of very specific bodily autonomy control That of black indigenous latinx anyone who was deemed to be non-white the disability community I know of a disabled man An individual with disabilities who had cerebral palsy and was stuck in an institution in mississippi And because he was a black man with cerebral palsy he was castrated I know of a black woman elder who in her 70s still cries About the fact that she woke up after giving birth to her child To find out that they had stolen her fertility without her consent It was not even seven years ago That I met a woman at a playground who was there at the same time I was there with my child and told a very chilling similar story where it was determined By some doctors that it was in her best interest To take away her reproductive rights without her consent Midsurgical procedure And this woman in her 20s wept Our current practices are still happening and our supreme court justices are justifying it The words that Alito came up with Are absolutely rooted in systemic racism in patriarchy And a complete abandonment of gender justice Abortion rights are something that's directly affected not only my family but myself I learned not that long ago that one of my great-grandmothers died Following an abortion because she could not see herself having a sixth child in an abusive marriage She died to try to seek her freedom from that terror Myself Not even 19 in my freshman year of college Coming out the other side of a very emotionally abusive Relationship found out that I was pregnant and after having already been sexually assaulted and told Very clearly that my body was not of my own I had to make that difficult decision for my life and my rights And today I'm the proud mother of a beautiful boy And it was the right timing. It was the right space And I could not be more Honored to have that role, but there's so many who cancel. Let's not pretend like that's the only reason why we're here today I want to honor dr. Chen if he's still around. He might be hiding in the shade He might have left already I want to honor Planned Parenthood because when I served in this legislature We had to fight to pass a bill to give contraception for all Yes, that's right. It was Planned Parenthood at the fight to ensure That everyone would have access to free Contraception including vasectomies That was a fight That was a fight that we didn't know we were gonna need We said there's no way the aca is going to be overturned, but just in case let's codify it So that's what we're here to do today. We're here to make sure that our this proposition goes through It can't just be a thought it has to become a reality because we have zero historical precedents to Sit on and to relax to believe That these rights are somehow protected because it depends on who is defining our humanity at that moment in time So we must determine our destiny Rights and democracy is here for this fight We Are you You are us and we are all in this together because what is happening right now? What did I thank you powerful? Thank you so much kaya Yeah Before I proceed I have an important announcement to make we found this phone that belongs to somebody Luckily it has their cards. So I'm just going to read out the name. That's on the car It's uh, uh, sorry. Uh, pardon my pronunciation Thorolff van walsum If this phone Belongs to you, please come and get it from the tent right here The cover has interesting graffiti of kyle from south park and uh interstellar and austin powers So yeah, please come and get your phone and the rest of your stuff from here The next speaker I would like to introduce is indy show and hair Indy is representing the aclu of vermont an organization that is such an important partner in passing the reproductive liberty amendment Let's give a warm welcome to indy This is wild. Oh my gosh. Hello. I'm indy show and hair. I'm the advocacy fellow at the aclu of vermont Thank you all so much for being here and showing your support for reproductive freedom Um, I think productive liberty is essential to fulfill the promise of equality and self determination Rooted in our nation in our state's founding documents and principles Reproductive autonomy means opportunity the opportunity to obtain an education to work to love to build a family To make a life and ultimately the opportunity to live the life as one desires We are living in unprecedented times as we are witnessing at both a state and federal level the whittling away of reproductive liberties We have held for decades Recognizing this growing threat the aclu and partners like plant current hood began to mobilize in 2016 To do everything we can to protect reproductive liberty in vermont Our efforts have prepared us for this moment Maybe some of y'all can relate to this as a gen z millennial individual I grew up feeling a sense of security because of roby wade and simultaneously I felt the undercurrent of threats against my reproductive autonomy due to the stories I heard from across this country However, I did not ever envision the supreme court court going so far to potentially overturn row I'm gonna get emotional With immense gratitude and hope and a whole lot of anger As well I'm just here to share with you all that we have a path forward and that is through the reproductive liberty amendment Our state constitution if amended would read that an individual's right to personal reproductive autonomy Is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one's life course And shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means This amendment would protect the right to become pregnant carry a pregnancy to term and choose or refuse Contraception sterilization and abortion care The reproductive liberty amendment protects reproductive rights that already exist in vermont And this is giving us the best opportunity to ensure that the rights we have and rely on today won't change tomorrow I want to share a bit of my story and how I came into this work And what the reproductive liberty amendment means to me Just seven months ago. I joined the aclu of vermont as the advocacy fellow In the past seven months, I've had the opportunity to work on various campaigns and it has been both challenging and empowering But I literally could not believe that I would be joining a strong coalition to advance proposition five through the legislature Coalition's effort began over four years ago And the proposal worked its way through the long and complex process of becoming a constitutional amendment here in vermont And as introduced prop five would give people the opportunity to amend the vermont constitution To guarantee the right to personal reproductive liberty for all In january, I testified in support of prop five the reproductive liberty amendment And I witnessed and celebrated with my colleagues and friends the historic moment when it passed the house This was one of the top five moments of my life At the final passage of proposal five by the house of representatives We've been able to shift our focus to building grassroots support for the reproductive liberty amendment Which will be on the ballot this year And now We're urging you to vote yes on this reproductive liberty amendment As a black non-binary person and I can only speak for myself The rla symbolizes an acknowledgement of my humanity because it aims to uphold and protect my life course In the past two years, I came into a greater awareness of my gender identity Which caused a lot of things to shift for me And I started to have questions about what I wanted for my life and what I wanted my future to look like Here's a glimpse of what I envisioned for myself a quiet life with my cats and my chosen family I took into account my own generational trauma and mental health struggles And I decided that this cycle of trauma ends with me. I do not want children I do not want to experience pregnancy and no, I will not change my mind For me the reproductive liberty amendment restores a sense of security again Knowing that what I've decided for my future will be protected from political whims When we talk about reproductive health, we must not leave out the voices of trans non-binary gender queer and gender non-conforming people Having control over our reproductive decisions can affirm someone's gender identity And not having that control can do the exact opposite With the significant impact reproductive decisions like whether to carry a pregnancy Can have on our bodies and how we see our identities reflected at us It's critical that individuals make those decisions for themselves And the core of this amendment is that we should all no matter our identities Have our reproductive freedom protected and the government should not create or perpetuate systems of inequity And that vision hasn't been a reality for LGBTQ people as well as people with disabilities BIPOC and many others and this amendment is a step forward to shifting that landscape There should be no question where vermont stands with regard to its core values and commitment to fundamental rights We must respond to the mounting threat to reproductive liberty by enshrining reproductive autonomy as a constitutional and fundamental right in our state's constitution And this right it deserves the highest level of protection For these reasons I will be voting yes in November to enshrine reproductive liberty in our state constitution And I urge you all to join me And beyond voting yes We need you to connect with friends and community members and educate them about how important this vote is We cannot afford to be complacent vermont has the opportunity to show the nation what it means to be a leader and Excuse me to be a leader in affirming reproductive liberty But to do so we must turn out and vote yes on the reproductive liberty amendment. Thank you Thank you so much indy. That was great We have one more speaker left for today, but thank you all for your energy for all your signs for being here Yeah great going And before I invite the next speaker some acknowledgments are in order I would like to thank our sound engineer ron sweet of ron sweet music. Where are you ron? Thank you ron ron donated his time and talents to our rally today and we couldn't have done this event without you Thank you ron sweet Patrick quinby who is assisting him who's helping ron on the sound. Thank you patrick I would also like to thank our american sign language interpreters sierra magnum And norah kennedy Thank you sierra and norah We have a special announcement to make for mosaic vermont Following this rally Join mosaic and other anti-violence and advocacy organizations in vt To a call in a culture of consent today on the vcfa college green happening now until 5 p.m This gathering of activists will engage community members in workshops Discussion groups and activities around ending gender and sexual violence in our communities Yeah The event closes at 5 p.m. With a youth led solidarity march and Survivor speak out from the vcfa college green to here at the state house where survival vigil speak out takes place Let's change the narrative end violence period And now it's time for our final speaker page fissure Page is the vermont public affairs organizing manager with plan parenthood And she worked night and day to make this rally happen today. Please give a special welcome to page Thank you for staying here folks. Let's talk about taking action. Are you guys ready to take action? The reproductive liberty amendment Take action