Northern Women’s Centre takes pro-choice stance in reproductive rights rally
By Nadia Mansour, CFUR/Local Journalism Initiative
On March 30, members of the PG community stood alongside the UNBC Women’s Centre in a reproductive rights rally outside of the University Hospital of Northern BC. The rally was organized by UNBC Women’s Centre coordinator, Sarah Boyd.
Despite COVID-19 and the cold weather Boyd says, “we had 10-15 people come out throughout the day and considering that we are in the middle of a pandemic and it was snowing that day, it was quite cold… we still had a pretty good turn out.”
The rally, which has been held multiple times per year for the past decade, is inspired by a lack of pro-choice organizations in Prince George. Boyd explains, “we cannot be complacent in Canada. We are seeing south of the border that reproductive rights are being lost and in PG we do see pro-life organizations outside of the hospital.”
Boyd notes that raising awareness on a social issue results in a response from the community. “We had the usual range of responses while we were out there...from honking horns, thumbs up, to thumbs down and the middle finger… it’s something that we are very accustomed to.”
Boyd wants to send a message to the Prince George Community that there are organizations out there that support women making choices and will be there to offer resources along the way: “we want to be out and visible in the community.”
The Northern Women’s Centre has its doors open for UNBC campus goers but also for the rest of the Prince George Community. As Boyd highlights, “currently there isn't [another] women's center in the community. The Northern Women’s Centre, which is located on the UNBC campus, offers support, resources, and education on various topics, all completely free and is an open 24/7safe space for all women and men.
Listen to the interview on CFUR-FM:
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