‘I’m outraged’: women react to Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court
Demonstrators demonstrate outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC after Roe v. Wade was overthrown on June 24, 2022.
Amanda Macias | CNBC
WASHINGTON – A group of teenage girls, politely stepping through a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the nation’s highest court, held up their hastily made placards and joined in chants.
Some of them admitted they had never visited the country’s capital before, and others shared that they had never attended a protest.
“We saw what happened with Roe’s fading this morning and we just decided to use our time and votes,” explained 16-year-old Kayley Ko.
Ko, who traveled from North Carolina, came to DC for a week-long program designed to give students an opportunity to lobby the legislature on political issues.
“We presented our position on reproductive rights to congressmen, and then we looked at our phones and said, ‘Oh my God, the Supreme Court just issued its verdict on Roe.'”
In a 5-4 ruling, the nation’s highest court threw out Roe v. Wade, the landmark law that established a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion in the United States in 1973. The decision is expected to result in nearly half of US states banning the law or severely restricting the medical procedure and affecting tens of millions of people.
After the verdict, supporters and opponents of the decision gathered outside the Supreme Court.
“I’m freaking angry, that’s not right,” added 15-year-old Jetia, who traveled to Washington, DC from the Birmingham, Alabama area. “This is my first protest and I’m so happy to see that there are so many people out here supporting our rights,” she added.
“We don’t know what else is on the chopping block,” added Noel Gonzalez Jackson, 15, of Maryland. “We’ve all been very open with each other about this usually private topic,” she said, holding up a sign she’d made with her eyeliner on her way to the protest.
“I’m outraged,” Koyuki Chance, 45, told CNBC before the Supreme Court. “This decision cannot stand,” added the Philadelphia native.
“For women and those giving birth to live full human lives, they must have autonomy, and that cannot happen if abortion is illegal,” added Chance, mother of one daughter.
Protesters demonstrate outside the .US Supreme Court after Roe v Wade was overthrown on June 24, 2022.
Amanda Macias | CNBC
Following the Supreme Court decision, President Joe Biden, in a White House address, pledged to take all possible steps to protect abortion rights.
“It’s a sad day for our country, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over,” he said, urging Americans to vote for more pro-choice representatives in the House and Senate in November’s midterm elections. “We must restore the protection of Roe as the law of the land. We need to elect officials who do that,” Biden said.
“It’s not over yet,” he added.
Asked if Friday’s Supreme Court decision would force her to vote for abortion rights lawmakers in the midterm elections, Chance said she wasn’t worried about November.
“I’m worried about the women in Arkansas,” Chance said, referring to one of the states where abortion is no longer legal and if it is performed it carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The only exception is when the mother’s life is in danger as a result of the pregnancy.
“I’m not worried about November because women are being forced into motherhood right now,” she added.
Protesters demonstrate outside the .US Supreme Court after Roe v Wade was overthrown on June 24, 2022.
Amanda Macias | CNBC
Gabrielle Harris, 30, of New York, was checking out of her Washington, DC hotel room when she saw the news program on TV.
The day before, she was at the White House sponsoring a group promoting economic opportunity for black Americans. Harris, mother of a three-year-old son, explained that access to abortion is not just about physical autonomy, but also about economic security and opportunity.
“I had a choice when I decided to have him and it was my choice, I had options because having a child and raising a child is a complex decision,” Harris told CNBC.
Gabrielle Harris, 30, of New York, holds a sign while looking at the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, June 24, 2022.
Amanda Macias | CNBC
“And it took me weeks to make up my mind because I had to consider multiple situations, one of which was my economic situation and my family and government support,” she added.
Facing the Supreme Court and a sign that read, “Stop the War on Women,” Harris read aloud the words engraved on the west pediment above the Supreme Court’s front entrance: “Equal justice under the law.”
“Okay, there is no justice and it is definitely not equal. This decision has no balance, no human rights considerations, and no justice,” Harris said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/im-outraged-women-react-to-roe-v-wade-ruling-outside-of-supreme-court.html ‘I’m outraged’: women react to Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court
