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NYPD officer fatally shot

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8211; Bloomsburg University senior Katelyn Meeker told those attending the Rally for Reproductive Justice on Sunday that when as a college freshman she asked her mother to help her get birth control, her mother didn&#8217;t skip a beat.</p><p>Instead, Meeker&#8217;s mother, without asking a lot of questions, moved quickly to get her daughter with birth control, reminding her that if she ever needed an abortion, her mother would be there to support her.</p><p>Meeker said she recently became aware of a current college freshman who was pregnant and would be dropping out of college.</p><p>Meeker said the other girl, because her family was very religious and solidly against birth control and abortion, may never have the opportunity to reach her full potential because she lacked understanding of the choices that were available to her.</p><p>Meeker&#8217;s comments were reflective of the sentiments of more than 50 people gathered for an hour-long event on the steps of the Luzerne County Courthouse. Most of whom said they were afraid that the current national administration would pass legislation that would make it difficult or impossible to get comprehensive reproductive healthcare .</p><p>Melissa Reed, president and CEO of the local Planned Parenthood, said despite challenges the organization had to face within the last year, which included being suddenly informed that there landlord was effectively kicking them out and then a severe incident of vandalism after moving to a new location, she was encouraged.</p><p>Encouraged, she said, by the support received from people who continued to support Planned Parenthood and their efforts, in the face of adversity.</p><p>As she delineated each challenge, she followed by saying to those attending, &#8220;And you were there.&#8221;</p><p>Helen Davis, a professor at Wilkes University, told those gathered, &#8220;If you don&#8217;t have control over the basic functions of your body, you don&#8217;t have control over you&#8217;re future.&#8221;</p><p>She called proposed legislation &#8220;terrifying,&#8221; putting at risk the advancements made by woman over the last several decades.</p><p>She emphasized the importance of women understanding the options available to them, which may or may not include motherhood.</p><p>&#8220;There should be no social expectation that our primary job is to be human incubators,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Davis said that women should feel free to be sexual human beings, without limitations often imposed on them by society.</p><p>&#8220;Some think that men&#8217;s sex should be about pleasure and women&#8217;s sex about reproduction,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Flora Jenkins, secretary of the local NAACP, said new laws criminalizing abortion would prevent women from access to safe reproductive health care and to control over their own bodies.</p><p>&#8220;Even God gave us a choice,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Jenkins said those making decisions about abortion and birth control were not familiar with the finances and medical concerns of those they served.</p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s fight for the right to do what we need to do with our bodies,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Jessica Britain, of Action Together of Columbia County, said that women often had to travel hours to get abortions when they were already in very challenging situations.</p><p>In spite of recent legislation that has made it difficult for Planned Parenthood to provide full services, she said she has hope.</p><p>&#8220;Something wonderful happened,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Women began gathering together, working with grassroots organizations to address reproductive rights.&#8221;</p><p>Britain said she has been working in the field for about 15 years, and that it was often easy to be discouraged.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m grateful that I came off the sidelines,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Success in moving toward reproductive rights, she said, would be in bringing more people into the fight.</p><p>Rev. Rebecca A. Barnes&#8203;, priest-in-charge at St. Luke&#8217;s Episcopal Church, Scranton, said should women lose the legal right to abortion, they would seek unsafe back-alley abortions.</p><p>Barnes emphasized that true religion should be focused not simply on ensuring birth, but on advocating for children throughout their life, including all the health and medical supports needed for their long-term success.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">More than 50 people turned out for &#8216;A Rally for Reproductive Justice&#8217; at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_reporoctive-1-1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>More than 50 people turned out for &#8216;A Rally for Reproductive Justice&#8217; at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Geri Gibbons | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_71781243_1333687853473264_2123046125899350016_n-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_71781243_1333687853473264_2123046125899350016_n-2.jpg</photo1><caption1></caption1><photoCredit1>Geri Gibbons | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Reproductive rights protest held at Luzerne County Courthouse