Ever since the draft opinion leaked that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, people across the country have experienced fear, anger, and justifiable rage at the court’s attack on established reproductive rights. Overturning Roe v. Wade will have devastating consequences across the country, with several states outlawing abortion in all forms. While popular opinion favors abortion access, our country is currently held hostage by extremist radical right-wing judges nominated by a twice-impeached criminal president. And while the democrats flail for something to do, they don’t have the senate majority to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law. And they apparently don’t have the stones to expand the court or do anything effective beyond voting for a doomed bill.
In response to the devastating news, progressive and abortion rights groups are collaborating on a nationwide day of action. Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, the Women’s March, and MoveOn are launching a “Bans Off Our Bodies” day of action on May 14, with protests and marches set to take place across the country. “This is an all-hands on deck moment,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director and co-founder of UltraViolet.
Kelly Robinson, Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s executive director, announced that “anchor marches” are planned for New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with dozens more marches mobilizing across the country. “We’re expecting hundreds of thousands of folks in these anchor cities and still hundreds of events all across the country. So no matter where you are, there’s somewhere for you to go,” she said. You can find your local march HERE.
Robinson continued, “This is a time where we need to double down our organizing efforts to make sure that we are protecting our people, … We are going to be expressing our outrage. We are not stopping. We are not afraid. We have more resolve than we ever had before because we are not settled. We are not going to settle for Roe as it was. We’re fighting for it to get to the level of abortion access that we should have always had.”
Now is the time to take to the streets in protest. Because if we don’t defend reproductive rights, other civil liberties, like gay marriage, are on the chopping block. This is not hyperbole. The right have made it quite clear what they’re gunning for, and that is the rights of anyone who isn’t straight, white, cisgender, and Christian.
If you can’t make a march, or if you can and are still looking for ways to help, you can find and donate to your local abortion fund. You can also donate to the Repro Legal Defense Fund, which covers bail and funds strong defenses for people who are investigated, arrested, or prosecuted for self-managed abortion.
(image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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