There were times in 2014 when we just wanted to stand up and give a round of applause. When people spoke up for women's health and rights so boldly, so bravely, so perfectly, we couldn’t help but cheer them on. As this year comes to a close, we took a look back with Planned Parenthood Action Fund's Best and Worst of 2014, and asked you to vote for the top "Heck Yes!" moment of the year.
Drumroll please...
And the Winner Is:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg!
U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave us our “Heck Yes!” Moment of the Year for her scathing dissent in the Court’s decision in favor of Hobby Lobby. In June, she wrote that the Court’s ruling — which lets some bosses deny their employees birth control coverage — is so startlingly broad that it can override the health care needs of employees and their dependents across the country.
There were so many gripping lines from her 35-page dissent it’s hard to pick our favorite. In one of the most ominous, she warned that the precedent being set "would deny legions of women who do not hold their employers' beliefs access to contraceptive coverage. The Court, I fear, has ventured into a minefield."
The Nominees
They didn’t win, but they still made us want to jump up and cheer “Heck Yes!”
Emma Watson at the UN: "[F]ighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating.... [T]his has to stop. For the record, feminism by definition is: The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities."
Amy Poehler on how some people back away from the term "feminism" but support its exact principles: "That's like someone being like, 'I don't really believe in cars, but I drive one every day and I love that it gets me places and makes life so much easier and faster and I don't now what I would do without it.'"
Laverne Cox on standing up for trans rights: "There's not just one trans story. There's not just one trans experience.... If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don't deserve to be victims of violence."
Beyoncé takes a stand for feminism at the VMAs.
Tags: Hobby Lobby, Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Best Of
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