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UPDATE 1/13/06: Apparently activists are taking matters into their own hands and many of these advertisements are being defaced, as reported in local corporate media. Read the Catholic League's statement about Indybay

Slick anti-choice advertisements have recently appeared in BART trains and stations. The ads imply that San Franciscans and women in general are opposed to abortion, or at the very least have qualms about it, without discussing the fact that women should be able to choose for themselves if and when to have children. The ads, instead, ask, "Abortion: Have We Gone too Far?"

The roman catholic archdiocese of Oakland wrote that BART’s advertising agency, Viacom, approved a pair of professionally prepared ads targeting women of “pro choice” persuasion for "education" about the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. These ads, entitled “Choose” and “9 months,” were commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat. The ads began to appear in BART cars the day after Christmas, a month before the Roe v. Wade anniversary and Samuel Alito's nomination hearings. The ads have also been seen in some BART stations. The entity responsible for these ads is the Second Look Project of the Respect Life Ministry of the Oakland Diocese.

BART has rejected ads from anti-war groups in the past, but apparently it does not object to the content in the anti-choice ads. BART reportedly does not run ads for pornography, tobacco or liquor, although these are legal industries. Contact info for BART and its board members

Some local catholic church organizations: Diocese of Oakland Family Life Office | Young Adult Ministry and Campus Ministry of the SF Archdiocese

Many national organizations are working hard to show their opposition of the nomination of Samuel Alito for Sandra Day O'Connor's post on the US Supreme Court. They believe that the decisions that Judge Alito has written in the past indicate that if he ascends to the Supreme Court, civil rights and women's rights would be endangered. Confirmation hearings for Alito will began in the Senate on January 9th.

Planned Parenthood and Californians for Fair and Independent Judges held a rally against Alito's nomination on Monday, January 9th at 12pm, outside of Senator Diane Feinstein's office at One Post Street at Market in San Francisco. This rally was called for because of the many issues, such as reproductive rights, uncontrolled executive power, and privacy, that are at stake. World Can't Wait held rallies in San Francisco and Oakland that day. Photos

NARAL Pro-Choice America is encouraging people to write to their senators to encourage them to vote against Alito. If Alito joins the supreme court, he would likely tip the balance of justices against abortion and a woman's access to reproductive health care. He has written in the past, "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." NOW's article about some of Alito's anti-woman statements shows that Alito thinks that a woman should have her husband's consent before she can obtain an abortion, and he favors "states' rights" at the expense of people who face civil rights violations such as sex and race discrimination.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's report: Liberty at Risk: The Vulnerability of Reproductive Rights Under Alito | Facts About Alito | Planned Parenthood's "Who is Samuel Alito?" Page | ACLU Urges Senate to Thoroughly Review Record of Judge Samuel Alito, Expresses Serious Civil Liberties Concerns About Nominee

Read updates about the protest against the March for Life

California State University East Bay's Alliance for Social Justice held an info table on Friday, January 20th in front of the University Union to raise awareness about the threat on women's reproductive rights and to turn out students to the January 21 Counter march to the “Walk for Life March.” Photos and Report

A protest has been called to "Defend Women's Reproductive Autonomy, Confront the Right-Wing Invasion, and Shut down the Walk for Life." Poster Pro-choice people will meet at 11:00am on Saturday, January 21st, at Pier 7 on the Embarcadero, San Francisco. Press release

One year ago, the Walk for Life brought thousands of people from other cities to spread an anti-choice/anti-reproductive rights message in the streets of San Francisco. Their march was lined with pro-choice protesters, and Walk for Life was also disrupted and rerouted by civil disobedience. Walk for Life plans to bring a huge crowd again this year, and people from the Bay Area plan to rise up and stop the anti-choice march in its tracks. Walk for Life March Route

Pro-choice activists are concerned by the fact that the Walk for Life shrouds itself in feminist rhetoric. They state that event co-sponsors Feminists for Life, in supporting the criminalization of abortion and women's reproductive rights, would actually cause harm to women. Interview with Anita from BACORR

Planned Parenthood Golden Gate says, "This year, we hope to counter (the Walk for Life) with a positive event that will help push our movement forward and allow us to reclaim the moral highground and not amplify the message of our anti-choice visitors." PPGG has called for a candlelight march to be held Saturday evening, January 21st, beginning at 5:00pm in Dolores Park.

Anarchist Action | Bay Area Coalition on Reproductive Rights | Planned Parenthood Golden Gate

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) recently expressed outrage at the Target Corporation for misrepresenting Planned Parenthood and attempting to cover up a misguided corporate policy that denies women access to contraception. PPFA has urged Target to implement a policy that respects the rights of its customers by ensuring that Target pharmacies fill prescriptions in-store, without discrimination or delay. However, Target has announced that it would continue to embrace a policy that denies women timely access to basic health care. In response to complaints from the public, Target has questioned the veracity of a well-documented pharmacist refusal incident in Missouri and mischaracterized PPFA's attempts to address the situation. Target Timeline Prior to this refusal incident, Target ignored three requests by Planned Parenthood to clarify its national policy on pharmacists who refuse to fill valid, legal prescriptions for birth control. Some pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions for Emergency Contraception, claiming that their religious beliefs prevent them from doing so.

Karen Pearl, PPFA interim president, said, "When the drugs needed to fill women's prescriptions are sitting on a shelf behind the counter, women should not be turned away and sent to find them at another store. If Kmart, CVS, Costco and other chains can find a way to accommodate employees while still ensuring that patients receive timely, on-site access to their prescription medication, why can't Target?"

Pharmacist refusals can jeopardize woman's reproductive health. Denying women timely access to health care is an act of discrimination that could lead to an increased number of unintended pregnancies. PPFA has an online letter that can be sent to encourage Target to fill EC and birth control prescriptions.

The Truth About Target | Fill My Pills Now has survey results of the policies of top pharmacy chains about filling birth control prescriptions

The right wing remains on the offensive despite its loss in this fall's statewide election, and will be coming to San Francisco on January 21st, 2006, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, for the second annual “Walk for Life”. A coalition that says, "San Francisco is a reproductive rights town" will meet on Sunday, December 4th from 3:00-5:00pm in the Women’s Building in San Francisco (3543 18th Street between Valencia and Guerrero). The group plans to expand on the victory against Proposition 73 in November's election.

The goal of this meeting is to get input about ideas for the protest, and to put. plans in motion for a response to the “Walk for Life.” Organizers plan to bring more people out into the street to counter the Walk for Life West Coast than the 4-5,000 who participated in 2005. Read more

As the election day on November 8th approaches, the polls continue to show that Proposition 73, the anti-choice ballot initiative that threatens the health of teenage women, will be decided by a slim margin. The Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights held a rally for reproductive rights on Saturday, November 5th in San Francisco's Dolores Park. The event featured speakers, entertainment, performances, information tables, and art. Photos: 1 | 2 | Audio | Video The rally was followed by a Take Back the Night March to commemorate the women who died from neglected childbirth, illegal abortions and/or domestic abuse. The ACLU invited volunteers to help with No on Prop 73 phonebanking before the protest. Phonebanking info and list of speakers These events were in part a way to raise awareness of plans to mobilize people to counter the “Walk for Life,” anti-choice fundamentalists who will be coming to San Francisco on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade on January 21st, 2006.

BACORR, one of the Bay Area’s oldest direct action reproductive rights groups, recently re-formed itself to mobilize resistance and raise awareness in response to the attacks on women’s reproductive rights and the surge in attacks on clinics in the Bay Area. BACORR’s demands include the voting down of Proposition 73. This Parental Notification Initiative will be on the ballot in California on November 8th. It targets young women’s fundamental right to abortion and will especially impact low-income women and women of color if it is passed. Additional demands include: Supreme Court justices and laws supporting a woman’s right to control her body, expansion of civil liberties for all; the repeal of the racist Hyde Amendment, which was passed in 1976 and bans funding for abortion for women in the military or on Medicaid; universal healthcare, safe birth control, pre-natal care, and affordable childcare; defense of clinics from right-wing terrorism; ending of forced sterilization abuse of women of color; and ending the war on women at home and abroad.

BACORR is organizing during a time in which a great deal of negative pressure is being put on women's health advocates. In January 2005, 5,000 members of the anti-choice community marched in San Francisco streets, aided by the San Francisco diocese and led by two local women. They were met by thousands of defenders of a woman's right to choose. In May, Operation Rescue harassed gynecologists at the Convention of the College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists at the Moscone center and harassed a gynecologist in her Oakland neighborhood. In July, “The Crusade for Life” targeted Planned Parenthood in California and harassed Planned Parenthood clinics in San Francisco for a week.

9/24 Interview with a BACORR member | BACORR website

California's scheduled November 8th "Special Election" included Proposition 73, an initiative that would have required parents of teens to be notified 48 hours before they can have an abortion. The safety and health of young women would have been put in danger. Parental notification laws force teenagers to choose between talking with parents or having illegal, unsafe abortions. A poll showed that 48% of likely voters oppose this measure, demonstrating how close an election it was.

The No on 73 Campaign for Teen Safety said, "The real answer to teen pregnancy is prevention and strong, caring families -- not new laws that endanger our daughters. The best way to protect our daughters is to begin talking about responsible, appropriate sexual behavior from the time they are young, fostering an atmosphere that assures them they can come to us." The campaign held phone banking events in cities all over the state, which appeared to have been successful. Read more

No on 73 website | NARAL's Prop 73 Fact Sheet | The text of Proposition 73