An Albuquerque anti-choice group that failed last year to pass municipal ordinance banning abortion after 20 weeks has come up with a new way to convince Albuquerque and all of America to criminalize abortion: a national strike!
Earlier this year, Project Defending Life, the group behind the Albuquerque ballot measure, launched a new project called Protest ABQ, aimed at recruiting anti-choice activists from around the country to converge on Albuquerque, the home of one of a very few late-term abortion clinics in the nation. Project ABQ is now announcing that, along with the anti-choice group Operation Rescue, it will launch a general strike to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the March for Life.
The groups are calling for supporters to “stay home from work, avoid buying anything unnecessary and basically be on strike” for two days later this month.
Protest ABQ’s Father Stephen Imbarrato explains in a YouTube video that this will finally be the strategy to end legal abortion:
It’s our hope that these protests will culminate in a national strike to end pre-born baby killing in the United States. While we’re marching in protest in Washington D.C. and San Francisco and Santa Fe and throughout our country on January 22, let us pray and fast and protest. Stay home from work, avoid buying anything unnecessary and basically be on strike to end this national pre-born baby killing. Let us extend this protest, this strike beyond Roe v. Wade day on January 22 to Friday, January 32. No work, no school, no spending, just prayer and fasting to end pre-born child killing.
An announcement for the strike calls on protesters to emulate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (a supporter of reproductive rights) and warns that protesters could be “beaten, screamed at or abused”:
The yearly anniversary of Roe vs. Wade continues to be a day of mourning across the pro-life community. Each year thousands gather in Washington D.C. to protest against this evil.
However, to step up our call to end abortion, we are encouraging all like-minded people throughout the country not to go to work or school nor spend money on Thursday, January 22nd and Friday, January 23rd, 2015, but instead to join together for prayer, fasting and PROTEST in their localities.
All participants must commit to following the model of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in their protests.
“Even if we were to be beaten, screamed at, or abused, we will not respond in kind,” stated Fr. Imbarrato.
Protests will be held in front of state capitol buildings, busy intersections, and abortion facilities. No place is off limits and no one who profits from, supports, or condones pre-born child killing is immune from these protests.
Together, we are calling on national religious and pro-life leaders to join us and encourage all like-minded people to participate in a national strike.
