Pro-Choice Activists Rally For Reproducive Rights and Counterprotest at 2008 Walk For Life

The 4th annual Walk For Life took place at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco on Saturday, January 19. Pro and anti-choice rallies were held virtually side by side. Anti-choice Walk for Life - West Coast, a church-based coalition spearheaded by the Catholic church, bussed in up towards 10,000 people, pushing its message that abortion is murder and genocide and needs to be outlawed. They laid on heavy doses of civil rights movement rhetoric, continuing to invoke the name of Martin Luther King, without presenting any logical connection between King’s legacy and their anti-choice right-wing agenda. Once again, African American Reverend Clenard Childress of balckgenocide.org was the keynote speaker, presenting distorted statistics related to rates of abortion for black women and concluding that is genocide for that group.

A pro-choice rally and counter protest occurred across the plaza. BACORR, the Bay Area Coalition for our Reproductive Rights, made up of numerous pro-choice organizations, featured short, passionate speeches describing abortion as a necessary option for birth control; that abortion is a necessary health care right that needs to be available and fully funded as one part of a full range of reproductive services; and that grassroots organizing is needed to stand up for the right-wing assault on these rights. San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano and State Representative Mark Leno also spoke out for abortion rights.

Most of the pro-choice rally was made up of progressive and radical forces, once again resulting in smaller numbers than the church-based groups. Activists are critical of mainstream groups such as Planned Parenthood for once again refusing to endorse or participate despite having the ability to mobilize out many people. Apparently these institutional providers lack the political will to take to the streets in grassroots fashion. For the first time, BACORR obtained a permit for the rally, which helped by bringing out more activists in a space more conducive to rally. The rally was well organized and spirited, and considered a success by organizers and participants.

After the rallies, Walk For Life embarked on a permitted march through the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Warf and on to the Marina. Pro-choice activists followed them on the sidewalk, keeping up prolonged, highly-spirited chants, such as “Women deserve better, women deserve choice“; “If you don’t want an abortion then don’t have one”; “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries“; with a clear message that San Francisco is a pro-choice town and that the anti-abortion activists are not welcomed here with their message of hate. The Brass Liberation Orchestra also marched and played on the sidewalk. Pro-choice activists ended with a short rally near Fisherman’s Warf.