Defend Roe V. Wade: STRIKE – WALK OUT – SICK OUT – SIT DOWN – SHUT IT DOWN!
A leaked draft opinion outlines plans for the Supreme Court majority to strike down the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that maintained these rights. Here is a link to the draft majority opinion.
Women in Struggle/Mujeres en Lucha and the Socialist Unity Party/Partido de Socialismo Unido assert that it is time to take to the streets and resist the imminent, deeply reactionary Supreme Court decision that paves the way for a surge of attacks by the far right, including the neo-fascist elements responsible for the failed January 6, 2021, coup.
Reversing Roe v. Wade seeks to turn the clock back to the time when women – especially Black, Brown and poor women – were forced to seek back-alley abortions.
This decision is an attack on the rights of all genders, including transgender people and the LGBTQ2S movement. If affirmed, the arguments the draft opinion is based on would also undermine many other hard-won rights, including same-sex marriage, and be used to further the ongoing assault on trans people.
This attack is also deeply connected to the white supremacist attacks on voting rights for Black and Brown people and the attempts to stop workers from unionizing.
In the final analysis, the crushing of reproductive rights will fall disproportionately on women of color and poor women, as well as trans men, non-binary and gender non-conforming people who also need the right to abortion. It will also impact transgender and LGBTQ2S people by cutting their access to medical care. The very wealthy have always found a way to access abortions and other care.
Mainstream Democratic and Republican politicians have done almost nothing to stop the right wing in its tracks and to defend women’s rights. The attack has been clearly coming for years – yet the Biden White House, with a Democratic majority in Congress, did nothing to prepare.
In the blink of an eye, Biden and Congress are preparing to turn over another $33 billion dollars to escalate the U.S./NATO proxy war on Russia and Donbass. But they remain powerless to stop the storm threatening millions of women, oppressed-gendered people and the working class in general.
What is needed to stop this storm is a massive mobilization in the streets, independent of the capitalist parties. This mobilization must hurt the real power behind the right-wing threat – the big banks and capitalist bosses.
We propose building a one-day strike, sick-out, walk-out and sit-down that will be costly for those in power. Our power as workers, as students, as members of the community, can transcend the reactionary Supreme Court and the for-profit, anti-women, anti-trans, anti-people, anti-working-class policies.
When business as usual stops – they will reverse themselves!
