On the 30th of October 2020, the Polish government decided to take a step backwards from a growing empathetic and intelligent world and ban most forms of adoptions.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest of this decision even if such an act could have led to prosecution because of local restrictions regarding Covid-19. These protests have been going on for over a week now.
The New York Times write that this is the largest protest Poland has seen in decades, which is no wonder since a few men are unfortunately in charge who have for the past years been pulling this beautiful country back in time towards fascist times.
Sadly, this is not just an issue for Polish women but women around the whole world. In Nepal some young women are sent to a temporary exile while they endure their menstruation. Their families believe they are impure during this time. In Alabama, U.S., some backwards thinking people have tried to get The Human Life Protection Act into law. This would mean an almost full ban on abortion in the state. Fortunately this bill has been delayed. According to the World Health Organization 45% of all global abortions are unsafe. This could be different.
Here is some beauty from creative people that use their voices for good and who make music for and about women around the world – and their rights.
Skank for Choice ’19: Tales from the Border ft. Contracepters and Carmen Castillo by Contracepters
“In 2014, folks in the Rio Grande Valley lost their only abortion clinics due to House Bill 2-an omnibus law with sweeping abortion bans. Pushing safe abortion access further from reach for a low income community and cities across Texas, abortion advocates from South Texans for Reproductive Justice and local ska band Los Skagaleros founded Skank for Choice.
Skank for Choice is a ska themed music benefit show where local artists come together to help raise money for abortion funds which provide direct financial assistance to patients in the Rio Grande Valley.
In 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down HB2 and Whole Woman’s Health in McAllen was the only abortion clinic in the valley to reopen its doors. Skank for Choice has continued to help raise donations since and currently serves Frontera Fund, Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity, Stigma Relief Fund and South Texans for Reproductive Justice.
In an effort to raise additional funds for these organizations, Skank for Choice has released its first ever fundraiser CD, Tales from the Border.
This album was written by members of RGV ska band, Los Skagaleros (aka Contracepters on the CD) and solo artist, Carmen Castillo. This punk/hip-hop album was also created to raise awareness about the various barriers to abortion access in the RGV.
Tales from the Border debuted at Skank for Choice in McAllen on May 25th, 2019.
Each song on this 6 track CD shares the stories and experiences that folks face when seeking abortion care. With your donation, you will also receive a zine, Sin Fronteras, which expands on intersectional topics on the border. Submissions include the lived experiences, abortion stories, poetry and art by residents from the RGV.”
Old Bus Sings Songs For Choice, Specifically The Yellowhammer Fund Of Alabama by Old Bus
“My name is Justyn Withay. I live in Tuscaloosa, AL, where I volunteer as an escort at our abortion clinic, the West Alabama Women’s Center. Being one of the three abortion clinics left in all of Alabama, the WAWC is protested daily by individuals and groups seeking to shame, harass, and divert patients from their appointments. One of the ways we escorts try to limit this unwanted noise is by playing music to drown it out. We put together a playlist of songs that aim to be positive, upbeat, and LOUD. On this recording, I covered two of my favorite tracks from this list.
All proceeds from this project will go to support the Yellowhammer Fund (yellowhammerfund.org). The YF provides financial and logistical support to people who are having trouble affording an abortion in Alabama, a state that is extremely hostile to it abortion seekers and providers. Patients have to navigate a morass of state fees, restrictions, and deliberate misinformation about the procedure and reproductive health as a whole. They have to endure waiting periods, to travel as much as 100 miles or more, and cross a line of protestors just to physically reach a facility.
The songs are intended to make the clinic environment as comfortable and welcoming as we can make it. They’re meant to provide stability, relief, and to elevate the mood in an area that overwhelmingly looks on people who have abortions with scorn and judgment.
Please enjoy the music and support your local reproductive justice organization!”
Aubade For ________ by Justin Greene
“Dedicated to Carla Greene.
This work sonifies the environment surrounding the West Alabama Women’s Center, an abortion clinic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The clinic is situated in an office complex between busy roads and forested hiking trails. Standing outside the clinic one hears a steady stream of cars and 18–wheelers, a cacophony of intricate bird songs, the wind rustling the oak leaves and rusty chimes, and the sometimes gentle, but mostly hostile, shouting of protestors.
This digital album was intentionally produced with the implication of financial limitation.
All proceeds from this album benefit the Yellowhammer Fund, the first statewide abortion fund in Alabama associated with the National Network of Abortion Funds.”
Songs For Choice by Various Artists from across Pennsylvania
“This is a compilation of songs with the goal of making a difference in the lives of those impacted by the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and thus every penny of the proceeds will benefit the cause. Please share this music with those you love.
All proceeds will be donated to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.
This was made entirely possible by 13 contributing artists who have immense hearts.
Please support Planned Parenthood, learn more about the services they offer, and donate if you can – www.plannedparenthood.org“
Pro Choice by Radium Grrrls
“Listen!
People
Politicians
Policy makers listen
We don´t need your control
People
Politicians
Policy makers listen
We don´t need your control
We need
Birth control
We need
Birth control
Pro rights
Pro rights
Pro choice
My body
My voice”
From the song Pro Choice (2017).
