On Friday, June 8, Reproaction took direct action at Thrive Express Women’s healthcare, an anti-abortion fake clinic located in St. Louis, Missouri. Our direct action was organized in solidarity with The Poor People’s Campaign, a moral revival of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. Beginning in May, Missouri joined over 40 states where activists participating in The Poor People’s Campaign organized rallies, marches, and used non-violent action at capitols to bring attention to issues affecting people living in poverty.

Our solidarity action was organized to highlight the link between reproductive oppression perpetrated by organizations like fake clinics, and poverty. Also known as crisis pregnancy centers, fake clinics contribute nothing to address hunger or maternal and infant mortality. Yet Missouri’s 2018 budget allocates more than $6 million to pregnancy centers, and $4 million of that is diverted from federal welfare funds. That’s right, Missouri takes money from programs to assist poor people and gives those funds to shady anti-abortion fake clinics that exist to talk women out of having abortions. For our solidarity action in front of Thrive, Reproaction called this outrageous practice out and demanded accountability.

That following Monday, June 11, Reproaction traveled to Jefferson City to join over three hundred Missouri activists as they wrapped up The Poor People’s Campaign’s five-week set of direct actions and rallies in the state capitol. Activists marched and rallied to demand an increased minimum wage and that political leaders prioritize policies that will improve the lives of poor people. Reproaction is proud to stand in solidarity with the Fight for $15 movement, and to offer our fellows a $15 per hour wage.

At the rally in the shadow of the Missouri State Capitol, I spoke about the fact that reproductive oppression is linked to poverty, and explained why we will not achieve economic justice without reproductive justice.

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For more information about The Poor People’s Campaign, visit the campaign’s website.

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