ABORTION BANS & POLICE VIOLENCE: 

Two sides of the same sexist, racist attacks on our lives and communities

We are the Pissed Off Peaches. We are Georgians who came together to defy anti-abortion legislators and defend our communities against racist and sexist abortion bans. In 2019, we fought hard to stop Georgia politicians from banning abortion. While their bill ultimately passed, we fought back in court, blocked it, and we’re proud to say ABORTION IS STILL LEGAL IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.

We believe that every person in Georgia deserves to live in safe and sustainable communities. We believe our bodies and decisions should not be sexualized without our consent, shamed, or criminalized. We believe that we should not be used as political pawns for an agenda that is actively seeking to harm us and deprive us of life, liberation, and joy.

We believe that our voices should be heard and our votes should be counted.

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was on his daily jog in his neighborhood in Brunswick in Glynn County, when he was hunted and murdered by a group of white supremacists. In the intervening weeks and months, and amid a global pandemic that is disproportionately killing Black folks, police and state-sanctioned murders of Black people have continued. And finally, in late May⁠—the people had enough. We are now seeing a global uprising for Black lives and liberation.

We are PISSED OFF that systemic anti-Blackness results in the continued murder of Black people in this country.

We are PISSED OFF that Black families cannot live in peace without white supremacist violence stealing loved ones away.

We are PISSED OFF that in 2006, Kathryn Johnston was murdered in her home, as a result of the same kind of no-knock warrant and shoddy police work that led to the murder of Breonna Taylor in her bed. 

We are PISSED OFF that our neighbors in Louisiana have had to fight a racist abortion ban and are now waiting on the Supreme Court of the United States to decide whether Louisiana abortion clinics can stay open or shut down. 

Our rights, decisions, and bodies BELONG TO US. Not to cops. Not to politicians. Not to courts.

Audre Lorde said, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Abortion access, reproductive justice, Black liberation—these are not separate issues. They are intersecting issues that collectively determine whether we can live and thrive. 

Until we can agree that ALL Black lives matter, ALL Black bodies deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, ALL Georgians are given the opportunity to decide what is best for ourselves and our communities on our own terms, we know that we will not be free. 

As Reproductive Justice Advocates, women, nonbinary people, queer and trans people, immigrants, and Black and Brown Georgians, we know the importance of moving through this world with an intersectional lens because we do not live single-issue lives. We are asking our co-conspirators, how far are you willing to go to make sure that we are all working towards our collective liberation?   

We have good reasons to be PISSED OFF. We live in a state with no Medicaid expansion. We live in a state with rampant voter suppression. We live in a state with a governor determined to outlaw abortion. We live in a state that continues to put profit over people, failing to save countless lives during a global pandemic that is killing Black people at higher rates. But we know it is not enough to just be pissed off. From Kathryn Johnson and Anthony Hill to Ahmaud Arbery, we are at a point where we must take action against the systemic anti-Blackness that is killing our people.

We are pissed off. We are activated, and we are now called to action. We cannot continue to let another day go by where the complete disregard for Black lives, autonomy, and self-determination is considered the status quo. Georgians deserve better, and the time is now to stand up for what we know is right. 

It’s time to divest from systems that were never intended for us to thrive. 

It's time to defund the police and radically shift power, money, and resources into our communities. It's time for us to expand Medicaid. The time is now to fund abortion and demand that we all have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive care. It's time for equitable access to information, resources, and care.

It’s time to act. How far are you willing to go for our collective liberation?