ALERT: Harassment from Anti-Abortion Forces in Little Rock, AR. Points To The Further Need For Uncompromising Struggle
Upon our arrival into Little Rock, Arkansas, the state with the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, we received a message from a member of ‘Personhood Arkansas’ who assured us that our visit was not welcome by her and her organization.
She later released on Twitter, the personal information of a local contact who was publicly supporting the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. In the past, it has been made clear by the anti-abortion Christian fascist movement that their aim is to terrorize and put a target on the back of anyone who provides abortions or supports abortion rights, and what happened tonight, was an example of just that. There is simply no other reason to post information like this, in a public way, than to create a situation where people feel compelled to act on it.
The fact that people like this, feel as though they have the moral high ground, and therefore are justified in carrying out such tactics, is entirely unacceptable. For far too long these voices have been amplified and legitimized. What does it mean that day after day these kinds of people are allowed to be the only voices heard outside of clinics? What kind of effect does this have on women and society as a whole?
When voices like this are allowed to stand alone, unopposed, one can understand why they step out with such conviction.
This points to the dire need for those with true morality, those who believe women are full human beings, to step out in a much bigger way than ever before. Laying low in the face of all this is not an option. It is not a strategy that is commensurate with the onslaught of attacks on abortion rights as well as the constant harassment providers and supporters are facing on a daily basis.
We are about saving women’s lives. We need to claim this, and project this broadly, because it is long past time that these anti-abortion fascist voices be cast to the side, and forced to be on the defensive, because what they represent is an anti-science, anti-reason, dark ages mentality in which women are nothing more than breeders and property of men.
Regardless of their intimidation tactics, we will continue carry out our plans in Little Rock and move forward on this Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. We call on all who support women’s right to abortion be a part of the national counteroffensive and join us in Jackson, MS at our culminating rally August 17th.
This announcement originally appeared on StopPatriarchy.org.
