Jasmine Aquino: Student protests vital for starting abortion-rights conversation

Wearing an all-white outfit, except for the red paint from her crotch down to the sides of her thighs, she hands out brochures that read, “A fetus is not a baby.”

Olive Reyes, a third-year English student and co-chairperson of the Revolution Club at UCLA, has brandished these pants last week and this week in protest of abortion criminalization on the eve of an important date: Jan. 22 marks the 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade United States Supreme Court ruling.

The Revolution Club makes their presence at protests against police brutality and immigration among other issues that minority groups face. This week they are focusing on women’s liberation – and rightfully so.

“People like to think that because it’s 2016 women have great access to abortion,” Reyes said. “But, in reality, women are still resorting to self-induced abortions with coat hangers in the own homes.”

Forced motherhood is female enslavement and has been the topic in many national news headlines. Starting in November 2013, about half of Texas’ abortion clinics were forced to close as a result of their omnibus abortion bill HB 2.

Recently, a study at the University of Texas found that an estimated 100,000 to 240,000 women aged 18 to 49 throughout the state have attempted a self-induced abortion at some point in their lives.

This past December, a 31-year-old woman named Anna Yocca in Tennessee was charged with attempted murder for attempting to terminate her pregnancy with a coat hanger as her only resort.

Women in the 21st century are still struggling to gain full autonomy of their bodies and gain access to resources that should otherwise be readily available.

Reyes, along with other members of the Revolution Club, is going to San Francisco this weekend to counter-protest the pro-life personnel in front of Planned Parenthood locations in the area. These students are fighting for greater women’s liberation to gain total autonomy over their own bodies.

“I’m doing this for all the women like Anna Yocca, who are in jail or have either been convicted or are facing charges for attempted murder for trying to self-induce abortion, because they do not have access to abortion on demand, and (I’m doing it) without apology,” Reyes said.

Reyes and the Revolution Club are advocating for the appropriate actions needed for change.

“Learn more and protest,” Reyes said. “Mass resistance is the only thing that has surely gotten the oppressed their rights.”

While the Revolution Club makes a very bold statement, their efforts are headed in a good direction. Bringing attention to pressing issues like abortion is completely necessary.

Students may be afraid of getting arrested or injured in a protest, but they do not need to jump right into it. Asking questions and educating themselves is the first step. Learning about these criminalized women, reading about the bills and then eventually protesting the issue is extremely important.

Protesting will not get rid of the oppressors, but it starts a conversation. Beginning and continuing the conversation around women’s liberation movements, including abortion rights, is essential.

Students should pay closer attention to the growing amount of protest demonstrations happening on campus. From protests about black lives to those about immigration and women’s rights, UCLA students are voicing their concerns and demanding to be heard in their efforts for change.