National Organization of Women Pro-Choice Demonstration At City Hall Downtown In Favor Of Proposition 89

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — We told you about a pro-life rally back in April. Today there is a pro-choice rally happening at City Hall. Today's demonstration is being hosted by women who are a part of the National Organization of Women. They hope to call attention to equal rights, reproductive freedom, and the end of gender-based violence.

Here in Colorado, voters will vote on whether or not to change the state constitution to include the right to abortion this November. That proposed initiative is commonly known as "Prop 89." It says the "Government shall not deny, impede, or discriminate against the exercise of that right, including prohibiting health insurance coverage for abortion.

Organizers of today's rally say it's crucial to protect women's reproductive rights. Mary Byler told News 5 “When you have a group of people who wants an entire nation to control, whether or not women have the right to reproductive health here which is abortion, you literally have a group of people saying that women are lesser than and women are nothing and we can’t allow that to happen because that’s going backward in time.”

Another organizer, Nathalia Burns says it's hard to feel free when people are making laws on other people's bodies. “To just have such different rules and laws for women and people with the uterus in general. It just seems very contradictory to say you live in the land of the free however, you have no say on what you can do with your own body.”

The group is asking people who can't make the event to wear red. This rally begins at noon here at City Hall.

___

Pueblo community honors 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald with lantern ceremony

Family and friends gathered at the Riverwalk in Pueblo to celebrate the life of 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald, who passed away last week in a tragic accident at a youth program.

Pueblo community honors 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald with lantern ceremony

____

Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.