After two-and-a-half months and 6,600 km, the Prochoice Highway made it to the end of the road. Or Highway! But never fear, you can still buy all the neat books and stuff, and a special shoutout for the amaze 2014 Body Politics Calendar. Click here, meanwhile, for the final email update, No. 8 in the series! Over’n’out.
After a whirlwind of activity in Wellington, Helen Wilson of WONAAC and Alison set off for the South Island: Picton, Blenheim, Nelson (+Richmond), Westport, Reefton (sort of) and Christchurch. The Durex condoms from the stall at FP came in handy in Blenheim. Click here to read Update No. 7, and find out why.
Alison and Helen making a point about reproductive choices in Blenheim, from the Marlborough Express.
The Highway was in Wellington for about 10 days and there were lots and lots and lots of events. And, of course, the Family Planning conference ran from 31 Oct-2 Nov. It was a huge success: FP did a fantastic job, and ALRANZ/Prochoice Highway had a great stall that was pretty popular, if we do say so ourselves.
You can read more about the Highway’s time in Wellington by clicking here for the 6th email update, which will open in your browser.
One highlight was getting to chat and huddle with Cecile Richards, the head of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. So, of course, we couldn’t resist a photo.
(Now, it’s on to the South Island/Te Waipounamu. Check out the events!)
ALRANZ types with Cecile Richards (the woman in white!) at the FP conference in Wellington
Some stormy weather along the road from Hawke’s Bay to the Manawatu: Lots of wind, then lots of rain. The van held out well, only springing a minor middle-of-the-night leak in Palmerston North. Anyway, all the info is in the latest e-mail update, and if you click here you can read it in your browser.
Lots of pix and not really enough room in the updates to include them, so here’s a wee gallery of some images from Hastings through the Manawatu to the Wairarapa. Click anywhere in the gallery for a closer view and a slide show.
The Prochoice Highway is on its way south, via a day trip to Rotorua for some campaigning with Nikki, and taking in Whakatane and Gisborne on the way to Hawkes Bay.
Suzanne, Maxine and Helen, prochoice supporters in Napier.
Here’s a link to the latest email update.
Oh, and the 2014 Body Politics Calendar would make a great gift. Just sayin’.
We’ve sent Update No. 3 out to subscribers (you can subscribe here), which wraps up the first leg of the Highway — Northland! — covers the September 28 events across the country, and looks at what’s next.
Click here to read the update in your browser.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of pix from the Prochoice Picnic in Albert Park, Auckland, on 28 September. Thanks Rachel R for the photos!
There are some very cool events going down in Aotearoa NZ on Saturday 28 September, which is Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion.
A joint media release issued by ALRANZ, Auckland Pro-Choice People and Dunedin Reproductive Justice — click here to read that — lists three that we know of. But even if you’re not in Tāmakimakaurau/Auckland, Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington or Ōtepoti/Dunedin, the organisers of the global event would love you to take part in their Tweet-a-thon; to do a blog post; to take a pro-choice selfie; whatever! Check them out on Twitter @WGNRR and be sure to do some prochoice tweeting, blogging, posting, writing, FBing. After all, Sept. 28 reaches us before it reaches most everyone else on the planet.
In case you missed it, AUT journalism student, Beatrice Randell, wrote a fine piece on both the Sept. 28 event planned for Albert Park in Tāmakimakaurau/Auckland and the issue of abortion rights in general. It’s great to see this issue finally being talked about! And good to see Voice for Life stating clearly they want abortion banned. Chops to Beatrice for asking the questions that made that position clear.
