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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Women are not alone &#8211; that was the common theme of participants who attended the Women&#8217;s March at Kirby Park on Saturday.</p><p>&#8220;The turnout is pretty amazing,&#8221; said Alisha Mae Hoffman-Mirilovich, president of Action Together NEPA. &#8220;Women are not alone. It&#8217;s important to have local rallies and be visible in the community so people know they are not alone.</p><p>&#8220;You have empowerment being in a group. I think that&#8217;s the biggest message anyone can take away from this.&#8221;</p><p>The threat of impending snow may have deterred some, but more than 200 women, men and children marched from Kirby Park to Public Square and listened to a host of topics that are at the forefront in today&#8217;s political climate.</p><p>It was just one of many marches held around the country.</p><p>For people who couldn&#8217;t attend, Hoffman-Mirilovich had one message:</p><p>&#8220;We want them to know they are not alone. We are here representing them and that we have similar values.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Three is a crowd,&#8221; said Dr. Lynn Coslett-Charlton, of OB GYN Associates, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists&#8217; National Committee on Government Affairs. &#8220;The only people that belong in my exam room is me and my patient. There&#8217;s no more important relationship than between a patient and her gynecologist and no one can argue that. Legislators don&#8217;t belong in there with us.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Most of the health care problems we&#8217;ve faced have been involved with patient doctor confidentiality,&#8221; the 15-year women&#8217;s healthcare advocate noted. &#8220;Sadly political ideologies are trying to restrict it, and women&#8217;s access to health care.&#8221;</p><p>Another issue raised during the rally was gun violence and its effect on women in America.</p><p>&#8220;Gun violence is a women&#8217;s issue,&#8221; said Shari Jacobson, a professor a Susquehanna University. &#8220;We need to end this toxic mix of domestic abuse and gun violence.&#8221;</p><p>Jacobson noted domestic violence and mass shootings as two main factors for gun violence affecting women.</p><p>In her speech, Jacobson said that 53 percent of women killed by guns are killed by an intimate partner or a family member. She said African American women are two times as likely to be killed by gun violence.</p><p>With more than 30,000 volunteers in chapters in all 50 states, MOMS Demand Action is a non-partisan group that implores lawmakers to improve the nation&#8217;s gun laws. Jacobson&#8217;s chapter covers Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties but hopes to add Luzerne County to the list.</p><p>One woman in attendance said she hopes that local, state and federal legislatures &#8211; especially newly elected women in Congress &#8211; help to pass laws that not only help women but help everyone.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Volunteers from Planned Parenthood, Kara Dooner and Kayla Otero, talk about the new location of Planned Parenthood in Wilkes-Barre and the different services that are available. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-9.jpg</photo0><caption0>Volunteers from Planned Parenthood, Kara Dooner and Kayla Otero, talk about the new location of Planned Parenthood in Wilkes-Barre and the different services that are available. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Constanza Pinero, 17 of Kingston takes a moment to herself before the start of the NEPA Women's March in Wilkes-Barre Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-7.jpg</photo1><caption1>Constanza Pinero, 17 of Kingston takes a moment to herself before the start of the NEPA Women's March in Wilkes-Barre Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A woman in a crowd of supporters holds up her sign while listening to speakers before the start of the Nepa Women's march Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader
</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>A woman in a crowd of supporters holds up her sign while listening to speakers before the start of the Nepa Women's march Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader
</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A large group marched from Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre to the Public Square during Northeastern Pennsylvania version of the Women&#8217;s March on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>A large group marched from Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre to the Public Square during Northeastern Pennsylvania version of the Women&#8217;s March on Saturday. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Natalie O&#8217;Meara, 5, of Wilkes-Barre, looks at her sign during the Women&#8217;s March event held at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Natalie O&#8217;Meara, 5, of Wilkes-Barre, looks at her sign during the Women&#8217;s March event held at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-2CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A large group marched from Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre to the Public Square during Northeastern Pennsylvania version of the Women&#8217;s March on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-2CMYK.jpg</photo5><caption5>A large group marched from Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre to the Public Square during Northeastern Pennsylvania version of the Women&#8217;s March on Saturday. </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-5CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A woman in a crowd of supporters holds up her sign while listening to speakers before the start of the Nepa Women's march Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader
</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-5CMYK.jpg</photo6><caption6>A woman in a crowd of supporters holds up her sign while listening to speakers before the start of the Nepa Women's march Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader
</caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-9CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Volunteers from Planned Parenthood, Kara Dooner and Kayla Otero, talk about the new location of Planned Parenthood in Wilkes-Barre and the different services that are available. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-9CMYK.jpg</photo7><caption7>Volunteers from Planned Parenthood, Kara Dooner and Kayla Otero, talk about the new location of Planned Parenthood in Wilkes-Barre and the different services that are available. </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-1CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Natalie O&#8217;Meara, 5, of Wilkes-Barre, looks at her sign during the Women&#8217;s March event held at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012018womensmarch-1CMYK.jpg</photo8><caption8>Natalie O&#8217;Meara, 5, of Wilkes-Barre, looks at her sign during the Women&#8217;s March event held at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </caption8><photoCredit8></photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-7CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Constanza Pinero, 17 of Kingston takes a moment to herself before the start of the NEPA Women's March in Wilkes-Barre Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ttl012019womensmarch-7CMYK.jpg</photo9><caption9>Constanza Pinero, 17 of Kingston takes a moment to herself before the start of the NEPA Women's March in Wilkes-Barre Saturday morning. 
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</caption9><photoCredit9></photoCredit9></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>INSIDE</p><p>National Women&#8217;s March held in Washington. Page 11A</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Women’s March in Wilkes-Barre preaches empowerment