It's Abortion Protest Saturday

This Saturday, there will be a big abortion protest taking place in the city in response to it being 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We know- big yawn. Except it’s not what you think, it’s an anti-abortion rally. At first, when SFist heard about this, we thought it was a joke, you know ironic- kind of like all those Billionaires for Bush protests. But it’s not a joke, it’s real. There will be a rally at Justin Herman Plaza at 11 A.M followed by a walk along the Embarcadero from Justin Herman Plaza to the Marina Green in an event called Walk for Life West Coast. Upwards of 3,000 people are expected to attend, although most are being bussed in from the Central Valley. In deference to this being the Bluest of Blue States, march organizers Eva Muntean and Dolores Meehan have told all the folks at Operation Rescue to leave their aborted-fetus billboards at home. Asked why San Francisco, Roman Catholic and fourth-generation San Franciscan Dolores Meehan said that the point of the protest is to try and show pro-choice woman that abortion isn’t the only answer and that “there are other options.” Adds Muntean, also Catholic, “I want everyone to know that San Francisco is not a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah." But isn’t that why we love San Francisco?

There will be, of course, an anti-anti-abortion counter rally to be held in response. In fact, some pro-choice organizers are responding with all the love of open-mindedness and civil discussion that makes this city famous. Says IndyBay.org:

Protest the “Trojan Horse of anti-abortion demonstrators, who were given a permit to march in San Francisco, allowing a Nazi parade in our Left Coast city. We will not tolerate fascism anywhere. We will not allow the worms of anti-science, anti-evolution, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-women\'s liberation, racism, and anti-labor oppression to parade their hateful, murderous agenda on the streets of San Francisco. If the Democratic Party machine of San Francisco which issued this permit disagrees, the Democratic Party can and should leave town, along with its Republican twin.”

A pro-choice rally starts off at 10 beginning at Powell and Market streets and then they will shadow the anti-abortion march to its end. Sounds like this could all end in some sort of West-Side Story-like rumble. Expected to attend are local politicians, including Tom Ammiano, and a wide variety of pro-choice organizations.