by Reproductive Freedom Task Force 1.27.98
photos by COC Productions
"I'm glad we went to Washington and didn't let them have our lives or our
day", said an NYU student after Jan. 22. Even though there were thousands of
anti-abortionists at the "March for Life", the Pro-Life Agenda was not the
only voice heard on January 22. 
Refuse & Resist! set out to oppose them with not only posters and chants, but with a promise to never back down. With personal accounts of young women's own post-Roe abortion experiences, messages from abortion providers and speakers from national organizations (Elizabeth Toledo from the National Organization for Women, Amy Davison from the Feminist Majority Foundation, Jennifer Russo from Medical Students for Choice, Maureen Britell from the National Abortion Federation), our rally was able to approach the issue from numerous levels, both political and personal.
We were about 300 people, mostly students from the East Coast, who had united under our common cause and, some for the first time, to confront the opposition, putting our rage into action. Our presence was felt - not just by the anti-abortionists, who were unable to ignore us, but also by the media. The entire rally can be seen on C-SPAN, and numerous photos and articles from papers such as the NY Times, Washington Times and the Washington Post, represented both sides. The national office has copies of all.
After the rally on the Mall, we overtook their march to the Supreme Court,
where we were up against many members of Operation Rescue. With the presence
of so many young women, for whom abortion is little more than a distant
promise, we were able to bring attention to the fact that January 22 was not
simply a celebration of an anniversary, but a call to action - to move
forward, not allowing for any restrictions on women's ability to control their
own reproduction. By mentioning the March 10th Day of Appreciation for
Abortion Providers, we gave the crowd a day to look forward to, on which they
could actively continue their involvement in the movement with Refuse &
Resist!
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