By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Protestors were gathering in late afternoon today (June 24) to express their opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturn abortion rights.
The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that established abortion as a right 50 years came down this morning after a draft of the decision was leaked weeks ago.
Those demonstrators on hand expressed disgust that the fight for women’s reproductive freedom now had been set back and had to be won back.
Numerous cars blew their horns in apparent support of the group gathered at the intersection of Wooster and Main Street in downtown Bowling Green. Several other vehicles roared their engines, which the protestors interpreted as opposition to their cause.
One person cried out “keep the baby!”
The protest was organized by the Green Party.
Joe DeMare, co-chair of the Greens, told those assembled shortly after 5 p.m. that “a lot of people worked a lot of years to take this right away from women.”
The protest was called “because the government has no right telling women what to do with their bodies.”
DeMare said he expected it to last an hour, but about a dozen protestors remained on the corner until just after 10 p.m. Reportedly as many as 50 attended in the late afternoon.
“Even knowing it was coming, it was a gut punch,” said Dawn Hubbell-Staeble, choking back tears. “The only thing that can keep me going sometimes is the notion that at some point some knowledge, some rational thinking will prevail. Apparently we don’t live in that world any more. It doesn’t affect me, thankfully but I have granddaughters. So I’m back out here again for them.”
She remembers that the Roe v. Wade decision caused “a huge upheaval.”
“I never remember having to fear that I couldn’t have some control over my body. I really feel for the young ones … who have only grown up with rights becoming more and more limited.”
Brittany Dey, 20, and her sister Brooke, 18, were among the first to gather on the corner.
“We were devastated,” Brittany said. “We’ve only known having our rights, now they’re taken away.”
“It’s an outrage we’ve been fighting this same fight for so long,” Brooke said. “It’s been such a struggle for so many women for so long. It’s not fair.”
Brittany Dey said she hopes her peers will get out to vote in November, so “we can change this and make a difference.”
“We just want to be left alone,” her sister said. “We don’t want old white men telling us what I can do with my own body. It isn’t right and it isn’t fair.”
“I was very disappointed,” said Amy Robinson as she walked to join the protest with her daughter Tess Challu, 13.
Robinson said she was “a little bit scared about the ramifications here in Ohio and potential ripple effect in other laws.”
Associated Press reported that Justice Clarence Thomas, part of the majority, urged colleagues to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and the use of contraceptives.
Tess said she was disappointed. “You think it was all settled years ago and now we have to do it all again.”
On the other end of the spectrum, State Senator Theresa Gavarone issued a statement supporting the decision to return regulation of abortion over to the states. Roe v. Wade had cost the lives of millions of “unborn babies,” she claimed.
“I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the legislature to protect the unborn and support women and families expecting a child in Ohio.”
