Dallas marches against anti-abortion draft Supreme Court decision

Dallas, TX – On Saturday, May 7, around 200 people gathered at Civic Garden park in downtown Dallas to protest the leaked Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, thus allowing over half of U.S. states to ban abortion completely. Chants present at the rally included “When abortion is under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” and “Healthcare is a human right!”

Jo Hargis of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, criticized the Supreme Court’s decision and the Democratic Party’s inaction despite campaign promises, stating, “We have Democrats such as Obama and Biden claiming in their campaigns that they are going to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law. It’s no surprise they haven’t because the powerful here or anywhere else in the world have never taken action for the people, because power comes from the people.

A speaker with the Texas Equal Access Fund also spoke about the importance of legal low cost abortion and shared a story about how important being able to have an abortion was to her.

Kawana Scott of the Dallas Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression spoke out against the Supreme Court Decision and shared a story about how access to abortion was fundamental for her. “You shouldn’t have to go out of the country, You shouldn’t have to hide. You shouldn’t have to do any of the things they are making us do to get a normal procedure.”

Ashley Winkler of Communist Party USA criticized the priority of the GOP and the Supreme Court to suppress abortion, whilst supporting the death penalty, anti-homeless legislation, and opposition to universal healthcare, stating “We protect the wallets of our ruling class while we allow our families who are alive currently in America to rot.”

Michelle Anderson, of the Afiya Center stated “Ever after the decision has been made, we still fight because Black women’s fight is not over. It is not over for us, because now our families will be affected by not having abortion access.”

Local activist Olinka Green gave a speech discussing the long history of the white supremacist U.S. government taking away Black women’s reproductive autonomy including human experimentation upon enslaved Black women by J. Marion Sims, known as the father of gynecology in the United States. “For 500 years they’ve had their hands in our vaginas, and in 2022 they want to do it again. We must understand, we’ve never owned our own bodies, so today we say my body, my choice,” stated Green.

After the speeches, the protesters marched around downtown Dallas demanding for abortion and reproductive healthcare to remain legal as well as be affordable.

The march was organized by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Dallas, The Afiya Center, Texas Equal Access Fund – TEA Fund, Dallas Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, and Communist Party USA.