A letter from the VfC e-board

Dear friends and pro-choice allies,

A recent email sent by the MoveOn Student Action Team posed the question “What defines a generation?” The body of the email sought to answer the question and in doing so wrote, “it is not the attempts of others to destroy our world that makes us who we are, but how we rise to the challenge of rebuilding it.”

Although a few days ago many of us found ourselves staring at our television screens with tears in our eyes and conjuring only the most apocalyptic of visions, it is imperative to acknowledge the overwhelming extent to which we, the American pro-choice majority, rose to the challenges that have surfaced over the past few years. These last years have tested not only our passion for the pursuit of reproductive freedom, but also our dedication, endurance, courage, fortitude and most of all our ability to mobilize an entire nation around this vital issue.

In the last year the members of this movement have done more for the perpetuation of reproductive freedom than many thought possible, especially given the often bleak circumstances under which we worked. We organized 1.15 million people and flawlessly carried out the largest march in the history of this country. We safeguarded the rights of thousands of women by convincing President Bush to order the Department of Justice to stop subpoenaing women’s medical records. We have fought against the unconstitutionality of the so-called “Partial Birth Abortion Ban” in three major lawsuits and have proudly emerged from each courtroom victorious. Most importantly though, we have educated, inspired, organized, and mobilized the American pro-choice majority. We are at the very least 1.15 million people strong. We are intelligent, brave, diverse, dynamic, well-informed and passionate people, and we have both the determination and the capability to tackle anything that is brought before us.

What faces us in the years to come may be the greatest test of this generation of pro-choice activists. And this greatest of tests is accompanied by the greatest responsibilities. If you were never as active as you would have liked to be, if you ever questioned the attack on our rights but never thought to make a change, if you lived through the last four years but never truly answered the question “why am I pro-choice?” now, more than ever, is the time. Indeed we will be tested. However, it can be stated as unequivocal fact, that our generation of activists will rise to the challenges that face us, fulfill our enormous potential as citizens, students and activists, and emerge victorious.

In solidarity,
Ravina, Jill, Sarah, Anne, Maya, and Rachael