On January 22nd, the United States will observe the 35th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court decision in favor of a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. For the first time in years, pro-choice organizers were granted a permit for a rally in San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza (at Market and Embarcadero) at 11am on Saturday, January 19th. Bikes for Choice gathered at 10:30am. Following the rally, pro-choicers protested the "Walk for Life" on the Embarcardero.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Video

The Walk for Life - West Coast brings some 10,000 anti-choice marchers, mostly from outside of San Francisco, to town for its annual march through Fisherman's Wharf to the Marina (2008 WFLWC flyer). The January 19th Coalition, which organized the pro-choice rally, said that it intended to show "that the SF Bay Area/West Coast stands for reproductive rights and that Roe v Wade must be defended and expanded." BACORR (Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights) called for people to bring signs and be creative while defending a woman's right to choose.

1/10: Radical Women Meeting About January 19th | Analysis | ActivistNation interviews Nancy Reiko Cato on the fight for women's reproduction rights | 1/13: Abortion Without Apology - Or Women Have No Rights

Indybay's Past coverage of Roe v. Wade anniversary marches | Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights