Abortion Rights Protests and Vigils in Four Cities Responding to Attack on Planned Parenthood

November 30, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

As soon as news broke that a gunman had holed up inside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last Friday, Sunsara Taylor mobilized StopPatriarchy.org to hold a vigil Friday night in New York City's Union Square.  While the armed standoff in Colorado was still unfolding, over 25 people lined the south end of the park, holding bright orange posters which read, “Abortion On Demand and Without Apology.”  Hundreds of holiday shoppers passed the demonstration, many stopping to take pictures and dozens joining in to hold a sign for a few minutes or even an hour.  This included large numbers of women, but also men of all ages.

Some, emboldened and incited by dishonest videos released over the summer attacking Planned Parenthood, screamed at those holding the vigil, accusing them of “harvesting baby parts” and even yelling out support for the gunman.  All this right in the heart of New York City.  Taylor made clear that while the specific motivations of the gunman at that time had not yet been established, there is clearly an escalating war against women's right to abortion taking place both through terror and violence at the clinics as well as laws being passed by Christian fascists in power which are forcing abortion clinics to close and creating a situation where women are once again being forced to have children against their will.

Taylor highlighted Bob Avakian's poignant new statement, issued just a week prior to these attacks, “Unbelievable as it may seem, in the 21st century there are still people—including people in positions of power and authority—who are determined to force women to bear children, regardless of the situation, the feelings, and the better judgment of those women themselves. That is a way of enslaving women to the dictates of an oppressive male supremacist, patriarchal system; and that is what the cruel fanatics who are determined to deny women the right to abortion are really all about.”  She called on people to get into the leadership and work of Bob Avakian, who has developed the vision and strategy to make an actual revolution to get rid of this system that enslaves women and commits so many other crimes against humanity.  And Taylor called on people to join in on the spot and look forward towards the upcoming anniversary of Roe v. Wade to stand up in massive protests FOR abortion rights and women's lives in DC and San Francisco in January.

News media from half a dozen local television and radio stations captured footage and interviewed Sunsara Taylor and other protesters who were sounding the alarm on the escalating violence and attacks on women's right to abortion and on abortion clinics and providers across the country.

The next day, in response to a call issued again by Sunsara Taylor, StopPatriarchy.org and Revolution Clubs around the country mobilized protests and marches in Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco to Stand Up for Abortion Rights and Women's Lives.

In New York City, about 40 people rallied and then marched through light rain in Union Square.  By this time, everyone on the street had heard the news of the murder and terror that had been carried out against the Planned Parenthood and many hundreds more stopped, took pictures, and put their fists in the air.  Dozens stopped and joined in for some period of time.  One woman stood and watched with tears streaming from her eyes before approaching and whispering that she works at Planned Parenthood and was extremely thankful and emotional to see the protesters out there supporting them.  A man encouraged his teenage daughter to step right in the middle of the protest and hold up a sign so he could take her picture.  Friends stopped and joined in.  Many mothers and daughters stopped and watched, talking to each other and then to organizers with StopPatriarchy.org.  Dozens of people were signed up and all were invited to an emergency meeting being held Monday, November 30th to plan further response and for massive protests for January's anniversary of Roe v. Wade on both coasts.

Keep checking back on this website (revcom.us) for more reports on these actions as well as postings about upcoming mobilizations to defeat the war on women and hasten a real revolution that can break all the chains.

 

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