Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights:
Andy Zee interviews Victoria Eggers from the LA chapter of Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights and Vet Rise 4 Roe, Episode 113 of The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show.
Austin, Texas
August 6, Austin, Texas. Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights organized a Weekend of Rage March where people took over several intersections along South Congress to demand, “Legal abortion across this land!” Photo: Casey Cunningham
Coco Das at August 6 Austin protest.
Speaking in at the action in Austin on August 6, Coco Das from Refuse Fascism posed:
Why with such a dismal record on maternal health is Texas so focused on banning abortion? Why has Ken Paxton spent his time suing the Biden administration arguing that Texas should not have to abide by a federal law that requires doctors to perform emergency procedures – including abortions – to save the life of a mother.
Because this state is run by Christian fundamentalist lunatics – by fascists who have used the mantle of Christianity to rise to power and consolidate their power. If they are not the physical descendants, they are the spiritual and moral descendants of the slave holders and segregationists who founded and dominated this state until the civil rights and liberation movements of the 60s. These white supremacist, woman and LGBTQ hating, xenophobic, fanatical theocrats have taken over the Texas GOP, and they are gleeful over the suffering and death of people in this state and let’s be real, even their own people can be sacrificed in the service of their cause.
… We do not choose the times we live in. We do not choose when we are born. But we can choose how we act in this moment. We can choose if we are going to hand over the future of our children to these lunatics or if we are going to wage a fierce struggle for a whole different world, which IS possible and no one knows that better than these fascists.
Seattle
Banner drop in Seattle, August 4 over Interstate 5 in Seattle. Overwhelmingly the response was honks and cheering. One person leaned out of her car window frantically waving her own green bandana when she saw us! That passion needs to return to the streets and grow into a massive green wave that makes our demand undeniable.
Honolulu, Hawaii
"This is what we need! How can I help?" "What can I do if I live on another island?" "Outrageous!" "This is insanity!" For 4 hours concert-goers shared their outrage, told their stories, eagerly reached for stickers and leaflets, and signed up to find out more about the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights movement as they stood in the line to get into the Jack Johnson concert.
Across the Country:
Indianapolis, Indiana
July 30, Indianapolis, Indiana. A few hundred abortion rights activists gathered to protest as Senate Bill 1 which bans most abortions in Indiana was passed and will now move to the House for approval.
Topeka, Kansas
July 30, Topeka, Kansas. Hundreds of people occupied the Kansas Statehouse to protest against an amendment that explicitly states that women do not have a constitutional right to abortion. Many women stepped forward to tell their own personal stories, including one woman who talked about how she needed an abortion when she got out of an abusive relationship. This same day, in Lawrence, Kansas, 60 people gathered at the Douglas County Courthouse to march downtown to protest the amendment. (The amendment was later defeated at the polls on August 2.)
Mount Desert, Maine
July 31, Mount Desert, Maine. For the last few weeks area residents have been gathering across from the home of Leonard Leo, who protesters say was directly responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade and the erosion of reproductive rights. Leo is co-chairman and former executive vice president of the Federalist Society, a legal organization of conservatives and right-wing libertarians that advocates the appointment of anti-abortion judges to the federal courts. Leo advised Trump on the appointment of the reactionary judges Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Boise, Idaho.
August 3. About 500 people gathered for a pro-abortion rights rally at the state’s capitol. The first speaker was a vet who said, "Today I am faced with my reproductive freedoms being taken away by a country that I served. I have to worry about if the law will leave me to die in an Idaho hospital if I need a lifesaving abortion, leaving my three children motherless. This isn't the free America that our service members fight and die for." The rally featured a number of people running for office. After the rally people took to the streets to march down Capitol Boulevard.
Casper, Wyoming
August 3. Contending groups gathered at the Wellsprings Health Access clinic, which provides abortions. There are anti-abortion protests here weekly. But on this day, abortion rights activists also gathered to celebrate a judge’s ruling to block a ban on abortion, carrying signs like, “Right to life is a lie, you don’t care if women die!” The clinic’s opening was set for this summer but had to be delayed after an arson attack.
Teton County, Wyoming
August 3. After a judge in Teton County temporarily blocked Wyoming’s abortion ban, people rallied for abortion rights on Town Square. Some said they came for personal reasons and talked about how their lives had been impacted by an unplanned pregnancy or unexpected complications that required an abortion.
Saskatoon, Canada
August 1. About 100 pro-choice activists rallied for a “my body my choice” march. The action was done to draw attention to the fight for abortion rights in the United States and to call for access to reproductive rights in Canada. One of the organizers said, “We are human beings. In front of being a mother, a sister, a daughter, we are human beings first and our roles as women are important but they do not define us as human beings.”
Winnipeg, Canada
August 4. More than 100 people on bicycles and skates took to the streets to show solidarity with those fighting for the right to abortion in the U.S. and to highlight struggle in Canada. One issue protesters highlighted was the lack of abortion rights for women living in the rural areas of Canada. People gathered at the Manitoba Legislative Building in downtown Winnipeg and then rode/skated to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
In the Arts
Robbie Conal
Acclaimed guerilla artist Robbie Conal produced this powerful animation and accompanying posters depicting the six Supreme Court "justices" who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 1991 he produced a poster depicting former Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist with the phrase “GAG ME WITH A COAT HANGER” referring to the "gag rule" introduced under Ronald Reagan that banned doctors from counseling patients about abortion.