American Humanists Stand in Solidarity with Women in Historic March on Washington

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The American Humanist Association issued the following news release:

The American Humanist Association is proud to stand in solidarity for women's rights on Saturday, January 21, 2017, as an official partner of the historic Women's March on Washington, joining groups such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and NARAL Pro-Choice America at an event that is mobilizing over 200,000 people from across the country in opposition to the overt misogyny of President-elect Donald J. Trump and the anti-choice agenda of the Republican Congress.

"Members of the American Humanist Association will be walking in the Women's March to demonstrate that humanists stand arm-in-arm with women's rights activists and the progressive community. We will be united in opposition to any attempts by the Religious Right to thwart women's equality," said Rebecca Hale, president of the American Humanist Association. "Humanism is inherently feminist, and humanists have long advocated for reproductive rights, safe and legal abortion access, and equal pay for women. We are proud to champion the dignity and equality of all people."

Since its founding in 1945, the American Humanist Association has supported women's rights as human rights and much of its legislative and grassroots efforts are dedicated to combatting religious oppression of women. The Feminist Humanist Alliance, an adjunct of the American Humanist Association, coordinates the efforts of humanist volunteers to support women's rights organizations, such as the National Organization for Women. The American Humanist Association advocates for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and it opposes attempts by religious organizations to block women's access to birth control and abortion.

"A secular government best protects women's rights from the encroachment of conservative, patriarchal religions that would enshrine faith doctrine into law and infringe on reproductive rights," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. "In defending the separation of church and state, the American Humanist Association also works to ensure that women, not the clergy, have full control over the decisions they make about their bodies."

Members, staff and volunteers of the American Humanist Association will be traveling from around the nation to participate in the march, which will begin at the intersection of Independence Avenue and Third Street SW in downtown Washington, DC. Local humanist groups around the country will also be participating in sister marches in their own cities, including the Omaha Metro Area Humanist Association in Omaha, Nebraska; the Humanists of Linn County in Des Moines, Iowa; the Bay Area Humanists in San Francisco, California; Humanists of Greater Portland in Portland, Oregon; and Sunday Assembly LA in Los Angeles, California.

Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which--without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces--encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

[Category: Sociological]

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