Stop Patriarchy

That’s what a young woman said to her friend with wonder in her voice after encountering the #Stop Patriarchy booth at Warped Tour. She was pro-choice and wanted an #Abortion on Demand & Without Apology sticker but she had obviously never heard anyone talk positively about abortion. We mentioned how important and liberating the right to abortion is for all women, and how we need to fight for it this summer on the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. It wasn’t long before she told us that she had had an abortion and wasn’t sorry she did, but also felt bad about it. We answered very supportively that abortion is a responsible choice, she obviously did the right thing for her, and she absolutely did not do anything wrong, period - so there’s no reason she should have to feel bad about it for the rest of her life. When her friend ran up behind her and got filled in about the conversation, she put her arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, “You shouldn’t feel bad about your abortion.” The young woman smiled and you could literally see her shoulders relax. 

This needs to happen many times over and on a much larger scale throughout society. 1 in 3 American women will have an abortion by age 45. Think about how many teens and grown women are held back and held down by a burden of shame and stigma! This is totally unnecessary and should not be tolerated by anyone who cares about women or what kind of world we live in. 

This summer, Stop Patriarchy and all the people who will be joining us on the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride are setting out to change this! Imagine what it would look like, this new force on the scene, if everywhere the Freedom Ride travels, to all five states with only one clinic left, hundreds of girls and women, wave after wave, throw off the burden of shame and stigma and begin to proudly and defiantly fight to determine their own destinies and turn the tide for abortion rights. All this is tangible and possible.

This Freedom Ride is happening. Join it, Support it, Tell people about it. Donate at stoppatriarchy.org

A woman holds a poster during a vigil in Dublin November 17, 2012, in memory of Savita Halappanavar and in support of changes to abortion law. 

WTF. WTF? REALLY??!! WTF!!!! This was my reaction…..increasing in anger and volume… to the news that Planned Parenthood is dropping the “label” of being pro-choice, under the idea that this term is too “divisive.” As I sifted through some articles online, I also read from one of them that Planned Parenthood is saying that they hope to move beyond any labels, and that the issue of abortion is “complicated.”

It must be said, this is not at all complicated!!!! This is a “divisive issue” not because of the pro-woman, pro-abortion side of this fight, but because there exists a fanatical anti-abortion

Read More

Here’s a message sent to StopPatriarchy from Nikki who is coming to Washington DC for the Week of Action.  Read. Take a moment to think about what this means for women’s lives.  ACT. 

“Last year around this time a friend of mine bought the iPhone 4S, he was so excited about it and so was I. I wanted to play with Siri, the voice interpretation and recognition program that comes on that model and all subsequent models of the iPhone. The first thing I did, as a proud feminist, was to start talking to Siri about women’s issues. I asked Siri where the nearest abortion clinic was. Her response: 

Read More

In or near NYC? We’ll see you in the streets celebrating International Women’s Day!

But no matter where you are on March 10 - you can appreciate an abortion provider. From World Can’t Wait:

Thank an abortion provider

With the escalating vicious nationwide attack on the right to abortion and even birth control going on, this National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers takes on new profound importance. All of us who are outraged by this endless onslaught on the reproductive choice need to take that all that righteous outrage and focus it for the next two weeks into making sure March 10th, National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers is a big celebration of abortion and the precious doctors who make this right available!

In 1996, March 10th was declared a National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers by a group of national organizations and individuals as a way of giving back to the people who risk so much to ensure women have access to abortion.

March 10th is the anniversary of the murder of Dr. David Gunn, the first provider murdered by an anti-abortion extremist. Since then doctors and clinic staff continue to be attacked, their clients mercilessly harassed, their facilities bombed and burned, and their doctors and staff murdered. Yet they continue going to work, braving an increasing onslaught from fundamentalist extremists, because they know their services are absolutely indispensable to the equality of women in this society.

Watch Dr. Susan Wicklund on what difference it makes to get a note of support, in the midst of threats, from Abortion, Morality, and the Liberation of Women.

Invite your friends via Facebook to participate.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.

Find a clinic near you: National Abortion Federation LIST Abortion Clinics Online LIST. Bring flowers & thank you cards in person (we recommend calling first).

You can download, print and send cards to providers by clicking on one of the images below. Designed to be printed on 8 1/2 x 11″ paper and folded in 4 – use a notecard envelope to keep from folding again. Thanks to Heather Ault with 4000yearsforchoice.com for the great designs!

Message from Alexis Zepeda
Volunteer Clinic Escort, DC Abortion Fund Board Member

For all abortion providers, clinic staff, volunteer escorts and local fund volunteers…

When she looks at the piece of paper with your phone number on it, she wonders who will watch her kids, will she have to travel to a different state, does her credit card have enough space on it, how much will she get when she pawns her TV, will he come through with the $300 he promised her…can she do this?

She walks through the gauntlet of protesters – the same people some of you walk past every day at work and at home – but remains resolute in her decision. This choice of hers is only a real possibility because of your dedication to the notion that as long as there are unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, there must be access to safe and legal abortion care.

Your work is revolutionary and empowering. Your goals are simple: value women, trust women, listen to women. By providing the compassionate and skilled abortion care that women and their families need, you save women’s lives. You are heroes. Thank you for all that you do. Hearing that every day would still never be enough. On March 10, know that you all play a critical role in our movement’s struggle to fight stigma, judgment and prejudice.

Thank you!!

Abortion is a matter of the heart: for until one understands the heart of a woman, nothing else about abortion makes any sense at all.
- Dr. George Tiller