Women drew a line in the sand 29 years ago; never again would choosing whether or not to be a mother entail the risk of death or incarceration, of desperation, fear and shame.ÊTuesday, January 22, marks the 29th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.ÊWe have had to fight every day of those 29 years, in ways great and small, to defend that right.
But then, the importance of a legally sanctioned right to an abortion goes far beyond the moral, philosophical, religious and even scientific debates over the procedure itself; it goes to the heart of what kind of society we are striving to build. Will it be one in which we trust and accept women as full and equal partners, with all the rights and opportunities to control their own destinies, or one in which the patriarchy refuses to relinquish power, and has selective approval or denial of the most basic freedoms.
Roe turned the clock forward to the future, and we cannot, must not, allow the clock to turn back. The only question is what kind of future we will accept, and on whose terms the struggle will be waged.
These questions of control and power take on even starker meaning since the catastrophic events of September 11, and our national response. The reactionary forces in this country are making the most strenuous efforts to assert their dominance under the hammer of the "war on terrorism."ÊCivil liberties are disappearing as fast as yesterday's headlines. Dissent itself is rapidly becoming a punishable offense, and may even soon be outlawed in the name of "homeland security."
And, specific to the abortion question, misogynists have used the current climate of fear and repression to further their own agenda of male supremacy. Hundreds of anthrax hoax letters were sent to clinics aimed at reinforcing an unspeakable message of hate: women who assert reproductive choice, and the doctors who help them exercise it, will pay the price of death. Prominent religious leaders such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, were so emboldened by resurgent nationalism that they blamed abortionists for Sept. 11! ALL THIS IN A YEAR WHEN President Bush re-imposed the "Gag Rule," denying funds to international family planning organizations, thereby denying millions of impoverished women access to safe abortion and birth control.ÊAnd in a proclamation late Friday, Bush declared Sunday, Jan.20th, to be National Sanctity of Human Life Day. "Unborn children should be welcomed in life and protected in law," he said.
In such an atmosphere, it is more important than ever to honor, as we do on two days each year, the twin pillars that ensure and protect safe, legal and accessible abortion: January 22, on which the right to reproductive freedom was established, and March 10th, National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, when we acknowledge abortion providers and all who assist them as heroes for saving women's lives. Before Roe v. Wade there was no choice; and without abortion providers, there IS no choice! On January 22, let us raise our voices, stomp the earth, chant and sing for all to hear: Abortion On Demand And Without Apology! Celebrate this day acknowledging women's control of their own biological future. On March 10, National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, celebrate the courageous men and women who daily risk death to make the fragile promise of choice more than noble words.
To all those who hate women and fear relinquishing their own oppressive power, we say: the future is not yours -- we will Refuse and Resist!
The Reproductive Freedom Taskforce of Refuse and Resist!
Rftf@refuseandresist.orgÊ
212-713-5657Ê
http://www.refuseandresist.org
Ê
[posted 1/21/02]
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