What: Voice for Life is planning to arrange 12,000 pairs of booties on Parliament grounds in Wellington to represent the number of abortions last year. The demonstration, we are told, will be timed to coincide with the release of abortion data by Stats NZ.

Here is the original article talking about this event.

When: Wednesday, 25 July 2018, time still TBD

**UPDATE** 19/7/2018

We have confirmation the Booties will go down on Wednesday, 25 July 2018. We are waiting to hear from the Speaker’s Office whether we will get a permit to hold a counter protest rally. We will be there even if we don’t.

Where: Parliament Grounds, Wellington

How: When it comes to political demonstrations here in New Zealand, whoever is the bigger arsehole wins the arsehole sweepstakes and loses public opinion. Voice for Life has appropriated the idea of empty footwear symbolising loss of life from the YesWeCare shoe project, memorialising suicide victims. The idea or comparing living, thinking, feeling people with relationships, memories, and dreams to human foetuses that have not yet developed the physical structures necessary for thought, feeling, or volition is repulsive. They are winning the arsehole sweepstakes.

Let’s keep them winning by showing up with plenty of positivity. Should we encounter any anger or discord, let’s meet it with patience and a phone recording the video.

It looks like there will be lots of different groups doing their own thing – and that’s awesome! We hope it will contribute to a fun, carnival-like atmosphere.

Watch this space for more information about ALRANZ’s plans.

**UPDATE** 12/6/2018

The Booties organisers have extended the deadline for bootie submissions to 30 June. This tells us their event will likely take place in late July. We will keep you posted about the date.

We have heard from many friends and supporters with fantastic ideas about how to counter protest this event. Different groups are coming together with different themes. There will be humour, and feeling, and Handmaids. ALRANZ will have some Handmaids costumes for volunteers to wear, but if you’re clever with a needle, make your own, so that you’re sure to have one! Check YouTube for DIY videos.

We are still making plans, so watch this space!

Why: Their ‘memorial’ is designed to focus on foetuses and disappear the pregnant people who were carrying them. We need to refocus attention on the pregnant people, and with empathy, not judgment.