February 27—Shortly after 11 am, six Handmaids crossed the plaza of St. Mary’s Cathedral, the church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and entered during Sunday Mass. They made their way through ushers who tried to stop them, and walked right up to the front and stood facing the congregation, holding up signs that said, “Abortion On Demand And Without Apology!” and “Forced Motherhood Is Female Enslavement!” One Handmaid spoke out, indicting the Catholic church for thousands of years of oppressing women and calling out Archbishop Cordileone, a zealous public crusader against abortion rights, LBGTQ rights, and contraception. While church security tried to restore order and to force the Handmaids out, an anti-abortion activist popped up and started screaming through a bullhorn in the middle of the cathedral the lie that fetuses are babies. The Handmaids slowly walked out, chanting loud and clear, "Without this Basic Right, Women Can’t Be Free! Abortion on Demand and Without Apology!”

A speak-out for abortion rights was held on the sidewalk in front of the church—old and young exposed the dire situation for women before Roe v. Wade, and warned against the looming danger of all-around imposition of fascism, and urged people to take to the streets in massive numbers. They called for everyone to join in nationwide protests on March 8, International Women’s Day, and in the SF area to come to Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley at 12 noon that day. A statement was read from the organization Oysan (of Iranian and Afghan women), which said in part: “Our struggle, in Iran and Afghanistan is linked together with the struggle of women in the United States and women all around the world against patriarchy and all other forms of oppression and for bringing forward a just world and the emancipation of the whole of humanity.”

A high school student and member of the Revolution Club spoke bitterly about the oppression and hypocrisy of the church, confronting the pro-life Dark Ages morality with “answer me, is that love?” and called for revolution against the system of capitalism-imperialism. A member of the Raging Grannies, and an organizer for March 8, told of life for young women before Roe v. Wade:  women disappearing when they were in high school, forced to give birth in shame. Several high school students came from more than 50 miles away to attend.  

The event was organized by an ad hoc grouping of people who have been planning for the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights protest on March 8. It got positive coverage from a local TV news station and a local news radio station. A TikTok made by one of the organizers received over 50k views.