Photo via Stop Patriarchy Facebook Page
In-fighting among abortion advocates has piqued in Texas with the announcement that anti-Life group Stop Patriarchy will be hosting an Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. For the group (and many other anti-Life groups at the moment), Texas is “Ground Zero.” Our Pro-Life majority has the abortion movement shaking in its boots, desperate to keep whatever ground they have left. The abortion movement as a whole has failed to implement a unified strategy, and as a result they are exerting energy and resources fighting with one another. Notable anti-Life activists have spoken out against Stop Patriarchy, which they claim is a front for the Revolutionary Communist Party, and a cult of personality led by Bob Akavian.
The New Yorker reports:
Undeterred, Stop Patriarchy will take its questionable tactics to four Texas cities starting tomorrow — the site of some of the most draconian and contested abortion restrictions in the country. There will be “speak outs,” where abortion providers and patients will testify about seeking an abortion before Roe v. Wade as well as today. And Stop Patriarchy will protest outside the headquarters of the GOP and Pro-Life groups, carrying bloody hangers and wearing shackles.
Stop Patriarchy isn’t a reproductive justice movement – they’re a front for the Revolutionary Communist Party. A profitable one, it seems.
— Andrea Grimes (@andreagrimes) July 28, 2014
What abortion advocates are most upset about is the amount of money that Stop Patriarchy is raising for its bus tour. Anti-Life opponents of the group ask repeatedly how the money is being used and why the funds are not being given to other Texas abortion organizations instead. As usual, the bottom line is all about the money for abortion activists. Stop Patriarchy appears to be a thorn in the side of the activists who are futilely “attempting to keep the momentum alive” for the Texas abortion movement.
@andreagrimes no 4-city bus tour logistically costs >$30k. Where. Is. The. Money. Going.
— Anna Rubin (@quicksilvre) July 28, 2014
Specifically, Stop Patriarchy has reportedly raised $32,000 for its bus tour. That’s $32,000 which their abortion-promoting counterparts would very much like to have at their disposal to do things that involve more than driving a bus to just four cities in Texas.
Stop Patriarchy comes across as a more radical abortion group than others because members do not use semantics to sugar-coat the mainstream abortion agenda that most activists avoid broadcasting. The group is known for the promoting the tagline, “Abortion on-demand and without apology.” This wording is rejected by other abortion groups who prefer a more palatable message.
Nevertheless, the meat of their cause is the same. That is, to give women unrestricted access to abortion throughout every stage of pregnancy, to undermine the rights of the unborn, and to keep men out of the decision.