The most immediate and useful thing you can do is give your money to an abortion fund – WHO/Ohio (@whoohio) Midwest Access Coalition (@midwest_access_coalition), Preterm in Cleveland (@pretermclevelandohio), the Aggie Fund in Toledo. They all facilitate people getting abortion care that they need as abortion care that is now more difficult to access than ever.

Remember that we have known – with certainty – that this was coming for six weeks. Organizers, clinic defenders, clinic workers, and other folks on the front line have known for much, much longer. Roe has been a line in the sand, allowing state level restrictions to pop up rapidly and prevent many, many people from accessing abortion services despite the theoretical right.

What is a Right without Access?

Every day of the six weeks prior to the court’s decision was a blessing for those who sought abortion care, because every day the Supreme Court delayed their decision – however cowardly it was to do so – people were able to get that care.
Abortion is older than the state.

Abortion providers have historically been witches, midwives, rootworkers, herbalists, people on the margins who serve the health of our communities, and people from who power has been withheld.

Legality hasn’t been the norm for most of human history. Stripping away the legal right to abortion will not deter us from owning and celebrating our bodies and holding our community close.

There is no pithy statement, quip or hot take that wouldn’t immediately undermine the severity of what has happened. People are suffering.
There is no usefulness in being content with our moral superiority, pointing out hypocrisy and shortcomings of the “other side.”

It is now time to dive deep within ourselves to take care of our people and to do for us what the state cannot or refuses to do.

The people in power do not care about us. not the GOP, not the Democratic Party – but there are more of us than there are of them.
It is time to join a mass movement that takes care of others and will fight back for the right to do so.

You can join ours at columbusdsa.org. It will take all of us.

We’re coming to the end of Pride Month amidst an environment of escalating attacks from the right on queer and trans people. 

Tonight, we speak to two grassroots organizers working on self-defense programs for queer, trans, and people of color in NYC and the Bay Area. We hear from Kenji of Soar Over Hate and DJ Guerrilla Pump of We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For on how they are protecting their communities by organizing educational programs, creating art and healing practices, distributing tools and resources, and uniting community care with self-defense.

We’re also joined live tonight by Aaron Fernando, a member of the Queens DSA Electoral Organizing Committee, to discuss yesterday’s primary election results. Because of the redistricting debacle, New York is holding two primaries this summer with voters weighing in on Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Assembly races yesterday.

DSA For the Many endorsed four socialist Assembly Members for re-election and five new candidates for the Assembly. All the incumbent DSA members won their primaries, some by a very large margin,but of the five new candidates only Sarahana Shrestha, running in the Hudson Valley won her race outright, toppling 13-term incumbent Kevin Cahill who has held the seat since 1999. Samy Nemir Olivares’ race against Erik Dilan in Bushwick and Cypress Hills is still too close to call with Samy trailing by about 200 votes.

To learn more about queer self-defense programs and how you can get involved and support, visit soaroverhate.org and wevebeenwaitingforus.org.

To learn more about getting involved in upcoming races to elect DSA endorsed candidates for senate visit fortheturnout.nyc

Peninsula DSA Condemns SCOTUS Ruling on Dobbs, Calls for Interstate Solidarity

SAN MATEO, June 28, 2022 — On Friday, June 24, the US Supreme Court released their 6–3 ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, using anti-scientific and ahistorical arguments to overturn the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). This illegitimate Supreme Court has thwarted the will of the people and bypassed the 14th Amendment so the state can force our reproductive labor to create a readily exploitable “domestic supply of infants” for the capitalist class.

Peninsula Democratic Socialists of America (PDSA) vehemently rejects the premise that the people exist to serve the elite-captured economy, or that gender oppression is in any way compatible with democracy. We stand in solidarity with the people in other states who have lost, or may soon lose, non-negotiable human rights. The Dobbs decision is nothing short of an act of class warfare that will disproportionately harm our most vulnerable communities, no matter where they live.

• We demand that Congress end the filibuster in order to pass legislation protecting the right to abortion and reproductive freedom.
• We demand that the California legislature make use of its Democratic supermajority to (1) make the right to abortion explicit, (2) protect any person seeking reproductive healthcare from intimidation, interference, or prosecution, and (3) pass CalCare (AB 1400) to guarantee free healthcare to all.
• We encourage our chapter members and potential members to support reproductive justice by donating to Oakland’s Access Reproductive Justice and by joining our Healthcare Working Group, which next meets on Wednesday, July 20 at 6 p.m.
• We invite our neighbors in San Mateo County to join DSA and build a mass political movement to fight for abortion rights and for democracy.

In the face of barbarism, we continue to fight for equality through socialism, including universal healthcare with free abortion on demand and without apology. They may have the courts, but we have the people. Solidarity forever.

We’re always looking for ways to increase engagement from our membership. Let us know what you’d like to see us do more of by sending us an email.

Socialist Feminism cannot ignore the brutal reality of international capitalism.

A robust critique of capitalism is the only way to achieve a global understanding of women’s oppression.

Patriarchy predates capitalism, and the oppression of women transcends class. From unpaid domestic labor to cultural expressions of misogyny, socialism must confront the specific realities of women’s lives.

The path to achieving true equality requires a focused critique of the cultural force of patriarchy.

This Friday, the Supreme Court released their ruling on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As feared, an unelected and illegitimate Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that protected the right to abortion as an extension of the right to privacy. This undemocratic attack on reproductive freedom by six unelected judges cannot stand. Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America calls on all chapter members and supporters to mobilize immediately and join the fight to defeat this blatant act of class warfare. Commit to this fight here and join us tonight, 6/24 at 6:30 pm for an emergency rally at San Jose City Hall or tomorrow, 6/25 at 10:00 am also at San Jose City Hall. 

We urge all members to support ongoing reproductive justice work. Abortion remains legal in California, but state legislatures from Texas to Missouri have already made abortion illegal and seek to impose criminal penalties on doctors and patients who seek abortions. We must commit to building solidarity with those living in states that have just banned abortion while also working to strengthen the right to abortion at home. Free abortion on demand and without apology.

We demand that Congress pass federal legislation to protect abortion as a human right and repeal the filibuster if needed to do so. We call on the California Legislature to enshrine the right to abortion in our state constitution, pass CalCare to ensure every Californian has free access to reproductive healthcare, and enact abortion sanctuary laws to protect from retaliation those who seek to have an abortion in our state. 

Together, we will join a nationwide movement committed to restoring and expanding the right to abortion for all time.
Our enemies may have the courts; we have the people.

The post Silicon Valley DSA Statement Regarding SCOTUS Overturning Roe v. Wade appeared first on Silicon Valley DSA.

The Senate Must Take Action

The Colorado Springs Democratic Socialists of America condemns the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. We strongly believe that all people have the right to reproductive freedom and to practice bodily autonomy. This ruling is an extreme overstep by an authoritarian Supreme Court and is an attempt to reassert patriarchal social norms and thwart women’s liberation. 

We will not let this move go unchallenged. We call on Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper to end the filibuster, codify the right to an abortion, bring forward and vote to pass legislation that would end lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, to add additional seats to the Supreme Court to end partisan supermajorities that threaten our democracy, and to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees peoples’ right to reproductive freedom. Safe abortion access is a human right and we call on all Colorado and Colorado Springs legislators to declare it so.

In the face of rising authoritarianism, we must champion the principles of democracy and organize to defend our democratic and human rights. The Colorado Springs Democratic Socialists of America is committed to pushing back against the threat of fascist and patriarchal rule in these critical times for democracy. 

Emergency Protest – Friday, June 24, 6:30pm at State Capitol
Mass Meeting – Saturday, June 25, 4pm at 711 Catherine St SW

Abortion is healthcare and a human right, fundamentally tied to the principle of bodily autonomy. We condemn the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which will harm and criminalize working people. This decision is an act of class warfare, and we must oppose this undemocratic assault on our human rights.

This decision shows further proof of what we’ve seen for decades: that the Supreme Court has become a rogue institution uninterested in protecting the constitutional rights of the people and more focused on fulfilling the interests of major corporations and far-right Christian nationalists. 

The Supreme Court has made barbaric decisions in the past, upholding segregation in the 19th century and overturning labor protections in the 1920s. These undemocratic rulings were only overturned with the power of mass working class movements that challenged instituted powers at their core. We urge people to make their voices heard and reject all politicians who oppose the right to control one’s own body.

The decision of the conservative Supreme Court to strip Americans of their right to access abortion is appalling. We are not surprised that the most conservative set of justices in... Read more »

The post DSA LB Roe v Wade Statement appeared first on DSA-LB.

For the first time in the nation’s history, the Colombian people have elected a leftist to the presidency. Gustavo Petro defeated far-right populist, Rodolfo Hernández. The former guerilla has pledged to challenge economic inequality and fight climate change by transforming the country’s energy system. What does this victory mean for socialism in Latin America? DSA National Political Committee Member Marvin Gonzalez joins us to discuss that and much more. Here in New York City, the city council and Mayor Adams passed a new budget last week that funnels money to private creditors and the cops while cutting funds for education and other social services. We’ll hear from Kay Gabriel on why this budget is an attack on the working class and how NYC-DSA plans to build a movement to fight back.