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Pro-Choice Activists Rally For Reproducive Rights and Counterprotest at 2008 Walk For Life
Reproductive rights activist met thousands of bussed in anti-abortion activists from Walk for Life - West Coast. Led by BACORR, spirited speeches demanding that abortion remain legal and that women need a full range of affordable, accessible reproduction services. The rally was followed by a spirited to Fisherman's Wharf. Hear audio from the rally and chants/music from the march, starting with 2 minutes of chants from the march.
Listen now:
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.
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.
Listen now:
Listen now:
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The hypocrisy of Democratic Assemblyperson Mark Leno and Democratic Supervisor Tom Ammiano speaking at our pro-abortion rally was disgusting. First, Mark Leno knowingly lied when he said that the anti-abortion fascists came from out of town; the whole fascist march, using abortion as a smokescreen, was organized by the San Francisco Catholic Church, and the San Francisco and Bay Area Catholic Churches and their non-Catholic Christian cohorts were there. Second, no one has a right to falsely yell fire in a crowded theater. That is why the Ku Klux Klan would never be granted a permit to march, although they tried to get one in the 1980s. Having this march for fascism using abortion as a smokescreen is exactly the same as having the Klan march in San Francisco. In fact, in areas of this backward country where the Klan has sufficient numbers, the Klan is the leading anti-abortion gang. In this area, the Catholic Church is the local Ku Klux Klan, promoting fascism and hatred of women, gays and science. The San Francisco Democratic Party machine has been granting permits to this fascist gang to march in San Francisco because the Democratic Party welcomes the anti-abortion fascists to their rotten party who are not already there, such as Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Dennis Kucinich. The fronts for the Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, as stated above, refused to mobilize for this important protest, proving that they are just another charity racket. ABORTION IS IN SERIOUS DANGER OF BEING COMPLETELY REPEALED as the anti-abortion majority of the Supreme Court has already criminalized late term abortions in 2007 in Gonzales v. Carhart. Repeal of abortion in this backward country will put this country in the same category as: Ireland, most of Latin America, most of Africa, Syria, Iran, Indonesia, Phillipines. There are over 20 states that have anti-abortion laws on the books waiting for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the US. Annually, we see the face of American fascism in San Francisco. It is called the anti-abortion gang, led by the San Francisco Catholic Church.
I'm not religious but I'm thanking God for BACORR. They rock and I will always support their endeavours.
Keep Abortion legal.(period) at all costs.......
Keep Abortion legal.(period) at all costs.......
I'm getting pretty tired of hearing so-called progressives talk about coalitions and then turning around and whining about who is in the coalition. If you don't like demos don't vote for them. But regular people who are registered demos are part of who we need to reach out to to get these right wing extremists under control.
No one I know believes democratic politicians are the solution to anything- but neither are perpetually pure progressives who are always ready with criticism, but who can't work with anyone else and have a challenge actually showing up to get anything done.
Trying to get SF progressives to work together is about as doable as herding cats.
No one I know believes democratic politicians are the solution to anything- but neither are perpetually pure progressives who are always ready with criticism, but who can't work with anyone else and have a challenge actually showing up to get anything done.
Trying to get SF progressives to work together is about as doable as herding cats.
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