Vol. 79/No. 36       October 12, 2015

Militant/Ilona Gersh

Sept. 19 rally in Chicago defends right to choose abortion.

Bianchi was speaking for FURIE — Feminist Uprising to Resist Inequality and Exploitation — which called the action.

“We’re for repealing the Hyde amendment, which blocks federal funding for abortion,” she told the mostly young and spirited crowd, “and for free publicly funded child care; free reproductive health care, including prenatal care, health screenings and contraceptives; and zero cuts to women’s health care, child care and public education in the 2016 Illinois state budget.”

About 50 opponents of women’s rights counterprotested, trying to drown out speakers with chants and drums. But abortion rights supporters were louder.

“When abortion rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up and fight back!” rally participants chanted, along with “Not the church, not the state, women must decide our fate!” and “Pro-life, your name’s a lie — You don’t care if women die!”

Opponents of women’s rights in Congress have stepped up efforts to place further restrictions on women’s right to abortion and moved to ban federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Heavily edited videos filmed by agents of anti-abortion groups who infiltrated Planned Parenthood posing as supporters were released this summer showing members of the family health organization talking about plans to sell aborted fetal tissue.

The House passed a ban on funds for Planned Parenthood the day before the demonstration, but the bill failed in the Senate Sept. 24. Some legislators have threatened to try and prevent passage of a new federal budget and shut down the government if the ban isn’t adopted.

Dolores Pankey from Austin, a western suburb, was one of several shoppers who joined the march through downtown. “Join us,” she said to others on the sidewalk, “We can’t let them close Planned Parenthood. They serve millions of women.”

“We’re trying to get something going on campus,” Pam Novinski, one of five students from Northwestern University, told the Militant at the rally. “There are a lot of students and also professors who would give us their support.”

“It’s important to have protests like this one, even if they’re modest,” said David Winnyk, who recently moved to the area from Ohio. “It makes us stronger and gives us confidence when we’re out in the public eye.”  
 
 
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