Asheville Community Organizers To Hold Rally Against Abortion Bans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2021 (Asheville, NC) — Asheville Democratic Socialists of America, Asheville Party for Socialism and Liberation, and community activists and organizers from across Western North Carolina are gathering in downtown Asheville at Pack Square on Saturday, October 2nd to rally in opposition to the Texas abortion ban and other attempts to deny reproductive rights.
The rally will begin at 11:30am and include guest speakers and music. Participants will have the opportunity to visit tables with informational material from such organizations as Asheville DSA, the Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective, and the Carolina Abortion Fund.
According to one of the event’s organizers, Christina from the Carolina Abortion Fund, abortion bans promote inequality. “Let us not forget how the abortion ban passed disproportionately affects brown and black lives. Brown and black womxn, femmes and gender expansive individuals deserve the right to bodily autonomy. Reproductive justice is achieved when healthcare is free, accessible and deferential to all individuals here and around the world. We’re here in support of all pregnancy outcomes and experiences.”
The Texas abortion ban went into effect on September 1st. It effectively deputizes American citizens to turn in Texans that aid women who receive abortions after six weeks, which is before most women even know that they are pregnant. The Supreme Court voted the same day against blocking the law.
“Attacks on abortion access are not only attacks on reproductive rights and bodily autonomy,” argues Claire with the Asheville Party for Socialism and Liberation. “They are assaults on the rights and dignity of all women and LGBTQ+ people, and an attack on the healthcare rights of the entire working class.”
The Asheville rally is one of more than fifty that are being held across the country as part of a national day of action, as coordinated by the Women’s March organization.
Emma, who is at nineteen-years-old the youngest of the event’s organizers, comments: “to use the statement ‘pro-life’ and then vote against programs that better people’s lives is the biggest oxymoron to me. You are not ‘pro-life,’ you are ‘pro-birth’ and ‘pro — controlling women.’ This has never been about abortion. It’s been about keeping the poor poor and the rich rich. It’s a power grab to keep those in power at the top and continue pushing down on poor and working people.”
Other states in the country have severely restricted abortions and abortion access. In Mississippi, a case has been moving through the courts that will ban abortions after 15 weeks, and the Supreme Court is set to hear the case this year. In 2019, Ohio attempted to ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat was detected. A federal judge blocked that law temporarily, and its outcome is likely tied to the Mississippi case.
RSVP to the October 2nd event: https://go.avldsa.org/abortion
