By Nancy Rosenstock

CHICAGO, November 21, 2021—Supporters of a woman’s right to choose abortion are mobilizing December 1 in Washington, D.C., Jackson, Mississippi, and Chicago.

That day the Supreme Court is scheduled to begin oral arguments on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case challenging a 2018 Mississippi statute banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.^[1] The state of Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to use the case not only to uphold this ban but to directly overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

“Hold the Line for Abortion Justice” is the theme of the demonstration in Washington, D.C. Women’s March, the organization that called the December 1 pro-choice action, explained in an email:

“We are going to come together arm in arm to physically encircle the Supreme Court of the United States to visually and symbolically show that we are holding the line for abortion justice. We’re asking participants to wear green to symbolize our pro-abortion movement. This is going to be a critical day in the fight to defend abortion access.”

From Women’s March announcement of December 1 pro-choice rally in D.C.

Demonstrators will assemble at 1:00 p.m. at Columbus Circle in D.C. with the march to the Supreme Court kicking off at 2:15 p.m.

Earlier in the morning that day, at 7:30 am, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Abortion Access Coalition have called on supporters of women’s right to choose to assemble on the steps of the Supreme Court in D.C. The Center for Reproductive Rights is presenting the oral arguments in defense of Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

In Jackson, Mississippi, as part of an Abortion Freedom Fighters Day of Action, a rally will convene at noon on December 1 in Smith Park (250 N West St.). Sisters Helping Every Woman Rise and Organize (SHERo), an organization dedicated to promoting leadership among Black women, is one of the initiators of this action. Other co-sponsors include Planned Parenthood Southeast and Mississippi in Action.

Also on December 1, a rally will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the Federal Plaza in Chicago (corner of Adams and Dearborn) headlined “Defend Roe.” A number of organizations have come together to host the action. They include Chicago for Abortion Rights, Chicago National Organization for Women (NOW), Illinois Choice Action Team, Chicago Abortion Fund, and others. Leading the speakers list will be Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

This is a critical juncture in the fight to defend every woman’s right to choose abortion. We will settle for nothing less than control of our own body. 

Spread the word!  Join one of the protests!

Nancy Rosenstock was an activist in Boston Female Liberation and served on the national staff of the Women’s National Abortion Action Coalition in 1971. Today she is a member of Chicago for Abortion Rights. She is the author of the forthcoming book Inside The Second Wave of Feminism: An Account by Participants of Boston Female Liberation, 1968–1972, which is scheduled for publication in 2022 by Haymarket Books.

P.S.: If anyone knows of other pro-choice actions organized on or around December 1, please post the information, along with any relevant links, as a comment to this article.

NOTES

[1] For more information on this case see “Abortion Rights Fight Escalates as Mississippi Case Heads to Supreme Court”, published by World-Outlook on August 8, 2021.