President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Cecile Richards speaks to MSU students and members of the community Wednesday at the Erickson Hall Kiva. James Ristau/The State News
Chants of “Go green, go white’” and “Fired up, ready to go,” filled the Erickson Hall Kiva on Wednesday evening, welcoming key speakers to a women’s health forum put on by MSU student political groups.
And with about 20 days left before the presidential election, speakers and students agreed women’s health issues are critical.
The forum focused on issues related to women’s equal rights and was hosted in collaboration by the MSU College Democrats, Spartans for Barack Obama and Students for Choice.
Some of the women leaders featured included U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, and Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Richards, who is spending the week in Michigan rallying support for Obama, said it is of utmost important to Planned Parenthood and its patients to keep President Obama in the White House.
“We need people who lead for us and stand up for us, and who believe in equal pay and equal rights,” Richards said, adding President Obama believes it is the right of the woman, not the government, when it comes to issues of women’s health.
Richards said this idea is supported by men and women across the U.S.
Social relations and policy sophomore Rawley Van Fossen, who also is the vice president of the College Democrats, said women’s health care issues, such as abortion rights and access to birth control, are very important.
He noted overall equal rights, for example, those related to the workplace, also are essential. Van Fossen said both should be an automatic for all Americans.
“Though I am a male, (I’ve) got my mom and my sister, and knowing that there are people fighting for their rights. … It shouldn’t be something that we question or something that we think about,” Van Fossen said. “(And knowing) that there are women dedicated to these issues, (it) truly inspires me.”
Journalism sophomore Micayla Cummings said she came to the event because she is interested in how these issues will impact the election.
“Women deserve the right to be pro-choice, they deserve the right to own their body and do whatever they want for it,” Cummings said. “I just feel that any presidential candidate who is going to take the rights away from women is just not a suitable candidate to vote for.”’
Richards noted these are effective issues for every person.
“These are issues that are not only women’s issues, as the president said, they are women, men and family issues,” she said.
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