ACLU, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii to celebrate Roe v. Wade at the State Capitol

Hawaii Independent Staff

HONOLULU—Supporters and advocates will gather Friday, January 21 from 10:00 a.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda in commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.

On January 21, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized for the first time that an individual’s fundamental right to privacy includes a woman’s right to reproductive choice. The Roe v. Wade decision came three years after the State of Hawaii declared its own position on reproductive freedom when it became the first state to legislatively decriminalize abortion. At the time, Hawaii Gov. John Burns stated that doing so was “in the best interest of all the people of Hawaii.”

This year, on Roe’s 38th anniversary, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii will join supporters and advocates to celebrate the decision that opened the door to greater protections for reproductive rights.

On her first trip to Hawaii, Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will be speaking at the celebration.

“We’re very excited to host Cecile and share with her Hawaii’s Aloha Spirit and its long and proud history of protecting reproductive health and freedoms,” said Katie Reardon, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii’s Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs.

Planned Parenthood of Hawaii has been providing confidential and affordable reproductive health care, education, and advocacy in Hawaii since 1966. To find out more about Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, visit www.pphi.org.

The ACLU of Hawaii has been protecting the right to make informed decisions free from government interference about whether and when to become a parent since 1965. To learn more about the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, visit www.acluhawaii.org.