Anti-Choice March in Sacramento
06.22.2022 | A Christian dominionist flag flies proudly over a crowd, who are energized by the prospect of the freedom of choice being struck down by the supreme court; their opposition, despite being a much smaller group, manages to stay loud enough to distract from the massive event. This is the March for Life.
Specifically, it’s the California event for the anti-choice group March for Life (1), a national organization that has been dedicated to stopping legal abortion since 1974. Their eleven o’clock rally drew a crowd in the region of three hundred people with between fifteen and twenty-five dedicated opponents. Opposition chants of “Fuck the church, fuck the state, only we decide our fate” and similar messages drowned out anti-choice speakers as their crowd loudly complained that they could not hear.
Pro-choice is the majority opinion of Americans nationally, with 61% saying they support abortion in all or most cases (2).
Jeers and signs declare “RIP Roe” and otherwise celebrate the leaked draft opinion (3) that suggests Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that set a precedent for legal abortion, will soon be struck down. Symbols of homophobia, sexism, and religious extremism are proudly shown, including several Christian dominionist flags and symbols, an ideology that declares Christians should rule all nations and operate those nations with the bible as law (4).
The first image above shows a man with a pro-life sign groping the breast of a statue on the Capitol grounds while smiling. Pink Knight Press.
After the eleven o’clock rally, the anti-abortion crowd began a march, dropping significantly in size but remaining at least 150-200 people. Pro-choice opposers decked in green kept up with the march, successfully blocking groups of anti-choice marchers. The police attempted to block and surround pro-choicers but were unsuccessful at least twice, with determined members breaking the police line repeatedly.
1 marchforlife.org/california-march-for-life/
2 pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/13/about-six-in-ten-americans-say-abortion-should-be-legal-in-all-or-most-cases-2/
3 politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473
4 oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-73
