On October 2^nd, Greens and their allies rallied in parks around the state for women's reproductive rights.  They were part of the massive national mobilization of Americans sparked by the passage of a Texas law that deputizes private citizens to sue anyone believed to "aid and abet" an abortion, collecting a bounty of $10,000 from the victim of such a lawsuit.

At Franklin Park in Boston, an estimated 2500 activists showed up to hear from Congress members Ayanna Pressley and Edward Markey. They hailed the Women's Health Protection Act that the House of Representatives passed on September 24 (https://pai.org/news/house-passes-womens-health-protection-act-h-r-3755/).

At Buttonwood Park in New Bedford, over 300 activists, including members of the SouthCoast Greens Chapter, heard from local women’s rights activists including retired Judge Bettina Borders, well-known for her support of women’s rights to choose.  As she told us, “We in Massachusetts feel safe.  But we are not if the national agenda is against us. Remember, it is no coincidence that Margaret Atwood set the Handmaid’s Tale in Cambridge. To remind us.”

In 1973, the Supreme Court recognized abortion as covered by the basic constitutional right of privacy. However, the newly constituted Supreme Court recently declined to overturn the Texas outrage of banning abortions after a mere 6 weeks of pregnancy (when most women don’t even know they are pregnant) and even offering bounties paid to their predators. It has thus opened the way for states or other entities to dismantle the constitution under the pretext of enabling lawsuits against persons exercising their rights. 

It seems likely that the foolishness invited by the Supreme Court will not stand, since those in power in Washington do claim that the US is governed under a Constitution. So, the most likely course is for the Court to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, overturning for the first-time rights previously recognized for an entire half of the population. The Green Party of the US is on record that "Women's right to control their bodies is non-negotiable. It is essential that the option of a safe, legal abortion remains available" (https://www.gp.org/social_justice#rr).