Washington, DC & San Francisco:
Defiant Confrontations at Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
January 25, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Washington, DC
Defending abortion rights at the Supreme Court, Washington, DC, January 22, 2016. Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
Sunsara Taylor speaking at the protest at the Supreme Court building.
Bloody pants and chains symbolize women who die or are enslaved when safe legal abortion is not available. Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, protesting at the Supreme Court. Photo: StopPatriarchy.org
Sunsara Taylor with image of Bob Avakian—total revolution against all oppression. Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
January 22 marked the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Before Roe v. Wade, thousands of women in the U.S. were seriously injured or died each year from unsafe illegal abortions. Countless others were forced to bear children they did not want. Roe v. Wade was decided in the context of a tenacious fight by women and others during the social upheaval of the 1960s and early 1970s—as well as the huge economic and social changes affecting the family and the role of women. Ever since, there has been a mounting assault on the right to abortion, spearheaded by Christian fascists and including widespread violence and terror against abortion providers, along with court decisions and state laws placing increasing restrictions on abortion. Each year woman-hating anti-abortion forces mobilize to protest at the Supreme Court. In 2015, and again this year, they were confronted and opposed by defiant people in cities around the country including Washington, DC; San Francisco; Chicago and Austin, TX. Many were organized by Stop Patriarchy, who staged street theater on campuses in New York City and DC to mobilize youth, and there were pro-choice activists from a range of perspectives. The National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority and other groups sent representatives to be present and speak out.
Warning; you are blocking this demonstration. This demonstrates is blocking women's rights! pic.twitter.com/TkEks8i0nR
— Stop Patriarchy (@StopPatriarchy) January 22, 2016
Police: “Warning, you are blocking this demonstration.” Protesters: “This demonstration is blocking women's rights!”
Video: StopPatriarchy.org
"There is nooooo god" @SunsaraTaylor leads us in singing! pic.twitter.com/jogM9paKh6
— Stop Patriarchy (@StopPatriarchy) January 22, 2016
Sunsara Taylor leads people singing Glory Hallelujah (There Is No God) . Video: StopPatriarchy.org
San Francisco
January 23, San Francisco: Protesters defiantly marched alongside the "Walk for Life," repeatedly confronting the march chanting "Forced Motherhood Is Female Enslavement," and "Abortion on Demand and Without Apology." They were harassed by a huge mobilization of San Francisco police. Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
Two hundred people, overwhelmingly youth, confronted the anti-abortion march in San Francisco. They included students from UC Berkeley, Mills College, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco State, UCLA, and area high schools as well as activists—revolutionary communists, radical feminists—and others. Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
San Francisco, January 23.
Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
Pro-choice demonstrators face down “March for Life” in Chicago.
Photo: Gretchen Rachel Hammond
Chicago
January 17, 2016: Neither bitter subzero wind chills nor hoards of anti-abortion fanatics, clutching rosaries and photos of bloody fetuses, could dampen the spirits or quell the voices of 200 defiant counter-protesters in front of the federal courthouse, as they faced down the so-called March for “Life,” who were amassing across the street. Loud chants rang out across Dearborn Street: “Two, Four, Six, Eight, Abortion Rights in Every State!” and “Pro-Life, Your Name’s a Lie, You Don’t Care if Women Die!” The counter-protesters—mainly young women, joined by young men and a smattering of older people—had great determination to drown out the anti-abortion rally.
Austin, TX
On January 24, two dozen people called together by Stop Patriarchy rallied in Austin, Texas, and confronted thousands of church members who came from across the state in buses. The crew included revolutionary communists, students from the University of Texas and Prairie View A&M University, and some youth who heard about the protest only a day before.
Photo: Revolution/revcom.us
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