The Planned Parenthood Vermont action fund has launched a campaign to promote public support for Proposal 5, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment. Also known as Prop 5, the measure would make abortion rights part of the Vermont Constitution.
The measure has been moving through the long process of passage for more than two years. It will face the Vermont House of Representatives one last time in the upcoming legislative session. Should it pass as expected, it will land on the ballot in November 2022.
The constitutional amendment would protect the abortion rights spelled out in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Abortion rights have been under attack around the country, and supporters of Prop 5 want to ensure that Vermont women will have the right to make their own decisions.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Charlie Gliserman, policy and Proposal 5 campaign manager at Planned Parenthood Vermont. “We really want to take this opportunity to bring Vermont voters into the process.”
The campaign kicked off last week with an event called Stronger Together, with a panel discussion, a storytelling time for members of the public, a performance by Vermont-based American roots band Dwight and Nicole, and a keynote speech from Alexis McGill Johnson, national president of Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood Vermont was “so honored that she’s joining us for this event, given all the attacks on reproductive rights that she’s handling right now,” said Eileen Sullivan, communications director for the organization.
The campaign will include a series of events intended to engage Vermonters in the campaign to get Prop 5 through the Legislature and then win support from the state’s voters.
“In a virtual setting, it’s really challenging to engage the community in the way that we want to,” said Gliserman, who hopes Vermonters will eventually have the chance to attend events in person and learn more about Prop 5.
