Women’s advocacy group plans capitals protest Saturday

As part of a nationwide protest at state capitals across the country on Saturday, a group called Unite Women is planning a rally behind City Hall in Baton Rouge, 222 St. Louis St., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to protest a number of issues before national and state legislators that it calls a “war on women.” “Halfway through the 2012 Legislative Session, our elected officials have ignored the facts and proven that they are intent on restricting the rights of women and rolling back a century of progress,” says Unite Women Louisiana Chair Ashley Baggett in a news release. “By rejecting the Equal Pay for Women Act they ignored the census statistics showing that Louisiana women earn 67 cents for every dollar men make, the largest gap in the nation. They ignored that Baton Rouge has the highest per capita AIDS rate in the U.S. and Louisiana has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates when they rejected the comprehensive sex education bill.” Learn more about the group at its website here.