The Reproductive Rights Network of Santa Cruz County, a community coalition of nearly fifty local organizations, will observe the 40th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision with its annual Pro-Choice Brunch to be held Saturday, Jan. 19 from 10 -11:30 am at the United Methodist Church, 250 California Street in Santa Cruz.
Keynote speaker for the event will be Lupe Rodriguez, Public Affairs Director for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, speaking on the implications of the recent election results for reproductive choice and healthcare access, at the federal and state level. This includes the future of the Affordable Care Act, judicial appointments, executive orders, and ongoing threats to choice, as well as the immense disparity of reproductive health services from state to state, and a wave of increasing restrictions on access to abortion services.
Ms. Rodriguez is an alumnus of the Women's Policy Institute; she currently serves on the national Women's Health Leadership Network, the San Jose Human Rights Commission, the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women, and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice. In 2010, Ms. Rodriguez was honored with the ‘Generation Award for an Emerging Leader’ from the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. She has a BA in biology from Harvard University.
Ms. Rodriguez will be joined by Eleanor Littman, Executive Director of the Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County, who will discuss the county's long record of extending healthcare access through innovative partnerships and new models of healthcare delivery, including reproductive choice.
The event is open to the public. A sliding scale donation is requested to support the organization's work, including advocacy and support for patient services; students are welcome free of charge. For more information: 423-2356.
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This is the 25th consecutive year for the RRN's annual pro-choice brunch. Member organizations include the following: AAUW, Santa Cruz, AAUW Watsonville, ACLU Santa Cruz County, BAYMEC, Campus Democrats – UCSC, Central Coast Clinicians, CPVAW: City of Santa Cruz, Community Bridges – Family Resource Centers, Democratic Party of Santa Cruz County, Democratic Women's Club, ETR: Education, Training, Research, First 5 of Santa Cruz County, Hadassah, Health Care for All – Santa Cruz County, International Health Programs, League of Women Voters, Santa Cruz, Midwives of Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, People's Democratic Club, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Population Connection, Resource Center for Nonviolence, Salud Para La Gente, SCAP: Santa Cruz AIDS Project, Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, Santa Cruz County Family Planning, Santa Cruz County Human Services Commission, Santa Cruz County Women's Commission, Santa Cruz Women's Health Center, SEIU: Service Employees International Union #521, Sierra Club, Population Committee, United Nations Association of Santa Cruz County, UCSC Women's Center - Policy Board, Valley Women's Club, Walnut Avenue Women's Center, Women Lawyers of Santa Cruz, Women's Clinic Staff - UCSC Health Center, Women's Crisis Support/Defensa de Mujeres, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom WILPF, Santa Cruz, WILPF, Watsonville, YWCA of Watsonville
