Scenes from the #stopthebans rally at Foley square

"MAY 21, 2019

OVER A THOUSAND JOINED THE STOP THE BANS RALLY IN NYC AS PART OF A NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR ABORTION RIGHTS"

photos by erikmcgregor

Scenes from Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992), the Supreme Court affirmed the basic ruling of Roe v. Wade that the state is prohibited from banning most abortions. ...

All my life, I’ve heard people debate it.

It’s been decades of fighting for autonomy.

But why do men really care what women do?

Why do men feel the compulsion to control women's bodies?

Why the fixation on control?

That could be your next book, Caroline chimes in.

I asked my students before their last exam in our human sexuality class.

“Control” notes one student.

“Power,” declares another.

All semester we talked about family planning and efforts to reduce poverty and combat abuse.

Women know when they can handle it.

Without Planned Parenthood and reproductive choice,

these concepts are rendered mute.

More kids, more poverty, more neglect,

translate into more abuse.

The beat goes on.

Its all about power, my students repeat.

“The Criminalization of Women’s Bodies Is All About Conservative Male Power,” notes Laurie Penny in the New Republic. “The goal of the wave of anti-abortion laws in America is to put female sexuality under strict and brutal state control.

Accordingly, Planned Parenthood responded, organizing a series of national speak outs:

“Across the country, we are seeing a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access. This is Trump's anti-abortion extremism and it's terrifying, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities who are most affected by these bans.
We will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish those who need access to abortion. Politicians shouldn't be making decisions best left to individuals, their families, and their doctors. Together we say: Stop the bans.”

“We mean, come on. A woman's right to choose is a woman's right to choose. Period. Time to get out in the streets, AGAIN, as people are trying to take our rights away,” announced Sing Out Louise before the rally. They’d be there as well.

“Its like groundhog day,” I thought riding my bike over to Foley Square after the action, thinking about the Casey Decision from 1992 when a majority on the court upheld Roe vs Wade.

The NY Times declared:

“The Center held.”

Almost three decades later, the center is gone. Kennedy, whose moderate voice guided the bench, has stepped down, replaced by a right-wing ideologue.

This is part of why there so many of us at the Kavanaugh Hearings and Confirmation Protests last fall. We saw what was coming.

“Its like the US is stepping backward,” notes one of my students.

History moves forward, backward, ever zigging and zagging in an anything but linear path.

A half century later, women’s rights seem endure one step backward after another.

Arriving at the Foley Square, I greet Diane and Jenny and Anne and the others from Rise and Resist.

“Pro life that’s a lie!!! They don’t care if women die!”

“Abortion is healthcare. Healthcare is a right!!!!”

People chante.

“It’s a new dynamic” notes Diane.

It feels like things have changed.

But we’re still out rising and resisting.

Sing Out Louise was performing pro choice anthems, like the Church Ladies used to.

Brian, aka Harmony Moore, was even there.

“Rise and Resist,” SOL sings to the tune of YMCA.

“Rise and Resist.”

Followed by a hopeful, Somewhere Over the Rainbow for our times:

“Somewhere over the rainbow, love trumps hate. Black lives matter to all, and Muslims can immigrate. Somewhere over the rainbow, we rejoice— Women get equal pay and make their own goddamn choice!”

Virginia Vitzthum posted a note:

1 min ·

Yesterday's turnout inspires me that Rise and Resist, Gays Against Guns, Sing Out Louise, the Laurie Arbeiter army, Revolting Lesbians, Reverend Billy, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and oh yeah, all women and people who care about women, can pull together the mother of all field trips to DC to shut this down. The people united......"