#StopTheBans

About

#StopTheBans is a hashtag used by pro-choice activists to spread information about protests and information surrounding state abortion laws.

Origin

On March 18th, 2013, The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL)^[1] began using #StopTheBans to spread pro-choice when North Dakota was facing a ban on abortion (shown below).

Spread

In 2015, activists began using the hashtag in regards to proposed laws in West Virginia and Ohio. The Stop the Bans website^[2] was introduced to list activist events around the United States. On February 25th, @URGE_org^[3] tweeted, "Happy that URGE students are able to support this @ProChoiceOH #stopthebans press conference!" (shown below, left). On March 6th, Planned Parenthood Action^[4] tweetd, "BREAKING: The #wvlegis just overrode Gov. Tomblin's veto to pass the 20-week abortion ban. #WVbullies #stopthebans" (shown below, right). Most of the tweets using the hashtag in 2015 didn't receive over 20 likes over four years.

In 2017, along with using #StopTheBans as a pro-choice hashtag many Twitter users began using it when referring to the Muslim Ban. On Jan 29th, @ProChoiceMass^[6] tweeted a picture of a protest saying, "20k+ in Copley Sq protesting the inhuman #MuslimBan & showing what #BostonStrong can be #NoBanNoWall #RefugeesWelcome #StoptheBans" (shown below, left). The tweet gained over 70 likes in two years. Activist continued to spread #StopThe Bans when recording and pro-choice events. On February 6th, Twitter user @KellCope^[5] tweeted a picture of "Civil rights attorney Jennifer Branch telling activists about the legal battles being waged to keep abortion legal in Ohio. #StopTheBans" (shown below, right).

Movement Protests

In May 2019, Stop the Bands became a wider movement following strike laws on abortions being passed in Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama. According to The Daily Dot,^[9] on May 21st, "protesters gathered across the U.S.[…] as a part of the #StopTheBans movement to push back against restrictive anti-abortion legislation sweeping the states." That day, the ACLU^[7] tweeted a map of all the protests happening that day (shown below, left). The tweet gained over 1,400 likes and 700 retweets in a day. California Rep. Speier^[8] tweet a picture of herself speaking at a protest and wrote, "Today, I shared my story of my 2nd trimester abortion, a painful procedure that became necessary after the fetus I was carrying moved from my uterus to my vagina. I am not ashamed. Neither should anyone else be. Those who treat women like chattel should be ashamed. #StopTheBans" (shown below, right). The tweet gained over 1,600 retweets and 6,500 likes in a day.

Many activists shared pictures and videos of protests in tweets using the hashtag. Twitter user @skenigsberg tweeted a video of a woman sharing her story in front of the Supreme Court building (shown below). The tweet gained over 7,500 likes and 3,600 retweets in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References