Four million march to support abortion rights
More than 600 rallies with over four million protesters supporting abortion rights took place in all 50 states on October 2 in response to Texas’ bill (S.B.8) banning abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. See photos from some of those marches on this page. Eighty-five percent of the marches were organized by new grassroots activists that have been true for every Women’s March. Hundreds of organizers are activated, have stayed active in the movement, and they aren’t going away! Women’s right to choose is a fundamental right and central to any democracy.
In an interview with Truthout, Women’s March Executive Director Rachel O’Leary Carmona stressed the link between issues of democracy, voting rights, and reproductive justice. “For too long the issue of abortion and reproductive health care in general has been kind of thought of separately from democracy efforts or racial justice efforts or even justice around immigration, and what we’re seeing right now is a confluence and a very clear kind of point that all of those things are so interconnected that we cannot kind of have one without the other.”
Following swiftly on the heels of S.B. 8 in Texas came the passage of S.B.1 targeting minority voting rights and enabling future partisan election theft. As the demographics shift, Texas Republicans know they can’t continue to rule over racial and ethnic minorities, or pass unpopular laws like S.B. 8, unless those minorities are systematically discouraged from voting.
S.B. 1 and S.B. 8 both grant some of the state’s enforcement and police powers to private individuals seeking to target minorities. S.B. 8 allows state residents to sue clinics, health care workers, and those who drive people to an abortion appointment for $10,000. S.B. 1 practically ensures the harassment and intimidation of voters and ballot counters to combat nonexistent voter fraud.
If you have stories and photos of your local efforts to defend abortion rights and democracy against the powerful forces attempting to subvert the will of the majority and take away our hard-won rights, the People’s Tribune is here for you. Reach us at www.peoplestribune.org or email info@peoplestribune.org.
