Outraged over recent anti-choice legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly, 1,000 protesters marched on the state capitol in Richmond on March 3. In a move typical of the southern establishment, the peaceful protesters were met by police in riot gear and armed with rifles, tear gas, and clubs. Thirty-one of the non-violent protesters were arrested for civil disobedience on the capitol steps.
Protesters held signs demanding that Governor Bob McDonnell veto HB 462, a piece of recent legislation that would require women to undergo an abdominal ultrasound before getting an abortion. The original language of the legislation called for an invasive, transvaginal ultrasound, but it was modified to an external transabdominal ultrasound due to popular outcry. Many labeled it a “state-sanctioned rape” bill.
“Being in a clinic, people have no idea how many people get abortions,” said Shelley Abrams, who runs a local abortion clinic. “Your sisters are getting them, your mothers. There’s a stigma of shame around that and I want that to go away and it starts with people saying, ‘I had an abortion.'” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 3)
Although the protesters had a permit for the Bell Tower in Capitol Square, many made the decision to stay on the south steps of the capitol and carry out an act of civil disobedience. The police arrested 31 people, 17 women and 14 men, for refusing to leave the steps.
Not only has the Virginia General Assembly attempted to restrict the rights of women, it has also pumped out regressive legislation that restricts adoption rights for LGBT couples and requires drug tests for public assistance recipients, as well as voter ID bills that restrict voting rights.
The sexist, anti-worker, and all-around bigoted legislation coming from the General Assembly highlights the anti-people nature of the system. The capitalist government is concerned only with the “right” of the rich few to make a profit at the expense of the many, including at the expense of women’s health. The program of the Party for Socialism and Liberation calls for abortion to be available on demand and considers health care to be a right.
