This Memorial Day (May 27), Boston groups are taking a stand against abortion bans with an all-day fundraiser at ONCE Somerville.
Appropriately titled Bands Against Bans, the flash fundraiser will raise money for The Yellowhammer Fund, a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds that “provides funding for anyone seeking care at one of Alabama’s three abortion clinics and will help with other barriers to access (travel, lodging, etc.) as well as able.”
The event starts at 3 p.m. in the ballroom with sets from Pony Snot, Linnea Herzog (Powerslut), Gene Dante (Gene Dante and The Future Starlets), and Leesa Coyne (Lonely Leesa and The Lost Cowboys), and carries over to the lounge at 7 p.m., where Sea, Miracle Blood, Birnam Wood, and Geisterfahrer take the reins until 11 p.m.
Spurred on by the recent laws that prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected in states such as Ohio and Georgia — and perhaps most notably, the Alabama law that makes performing abortions a felony with practically no exceptions — the fundraiser aims to both raise awareness about the severity of this legislature while also helping to support those potentially affected via The Yellowhammer Fund.
“With regard to the recent abortion bans, we can’t be thinking, ‘oh, that won’t happen here,’” says performer Linnea Herzog. “The right to choose isn’t just a women’s issue. It affects everybody. When fundamental rights are taken away from any group — even if it’s not a group that you personally belong to– it creates a climate of inequality, and we all suffer. Conversely, when fundamental rights are granted, we all benefit.”
While none of the laws have taken effect yet, many advocates for reproductive rights — including Herzog — have emphasized that the time to act is now, not later.
“ONCE’s fundraiser for the Yellowhammer Fund is a timely call to arms,” she adds. “We have to be brave now, we can’t stay silent – my short experience tells me that the Boston music community was never particularly good at that anyway. It’s 2019, autonomy and access to basic medical services should be a fundamental right, not something we have to fight for — so let’s use our voices to say so.”
BANDS AGAINST BANS:: Monday, May 27 at ONCE Somerville, 156 Highland Ave. in Somerville, MA:: All ages with parent or guardian, 3 p.m., $15:: Facebook event page
