Austin protests Texas governor’s attack on women

Austin, TX – Around 100 people rallied at the Texas State Capitol on September 1 to protest against the statewide abortion ban that went into effect that same day. Texas abortion clinics have been forced to stop taking appointments in order to avoid what could be thousands of lawsuits against them. The new law especially affects low-income and working-class women who don’t have the resources to take time off work, since the ban forces women in Texas to drive an average of 248 miles one way to access an abortion clinic out of state.

Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized Wednesday’s action and co-led the rally along with the Feminist Action Project, another student organization based at the University of Texas-Austin.

The central demands of the protest were to stop Governor Greg Abbott’s attacks on women, and to call for abortion rights and democracy. Chants included, “Governor Abbott, you can’t hide! You don’t care if women die!” and, “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

The protest began with a rally outside the capitol building, featuring many chants and speeches. Protesters then marched down Colorado and 11th Streets, and finally into the capitol itself, where chants echoed loudly throughout the building. The protest closed out with a call to action, urging all who attended to stay organized and join organizations like SDS or the Feminist Action Project to continue the struggle.