Protesters with the National Organization for Women gathered outside the Supreme Court on June 24 to advocate for reproductive rights, equal rights and an end to domestic violence.
June 24 marked the two-year decision of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case where the Supreme Court overturned both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Over 15 speakers addressed the crowd, and organizers also held a designated open microphone portion of the program. Attendees heard from Christian F. Nunes, the president of NOW, interns at local reproductive justice organizations and legislative directors.
For volunteer organizer Brittany Berkheimer, the anniversary emphasized the importance of their demonstration.
“I think especially today being the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, I think it's really important to let them know that we haven't forgotten the decision that they made that affects so many of our lives,” Berkheimer said. “Especially because there's so many women that are dying because of their decision.”
Robin Galbraith has been coming to the Supreme Court for an hour every day since July 1, 2023 to vocalize the “corruption issue” within the court. To show her support for the protestors and the issues they were protesting, she added her abortion t-shirt to her usual outfit.
“It’s come out that Justice [Clarence] Thomas especially took over $4 million worth of lavish trips and gifts paid for by billionaires and didn’t disclose it,” Galbraith said. “Justice [Samuel] Alito took a fancy fishing trip paid for by Paul Singer and then didn’t [recuse] himself when Paul Singer had cases before the Court.”
Galbraith said she hopes her demonstrations will help educate individuals who are unaware of these issues within the court.
“Today is the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision taking away half the country’s rights to bodily autonomy,” Galbraith said. “So I’m out here longer than an hour.”
While Galbraith’s local proximity to the court allows her to participate in ongoing protest, some participants took a much further journey to partake in the day’s events. Amber Helm traveled from Michigan to show the court that women are looking to move forward.
“We drove all the way here because we’re fighting for our rights,” Helm said. “Other states can’t have an abortion, and abortion is healthcare.”
Stefanie Watt brought herself and two young children from New York to protest, hoping to show them they have “the freedom and the right to protest and stand up for their rights and whatever they believe in and their own opinions, whatever they may be.”
“I just think it’s critical for them to be able to understand that their voices can and should be heard and that even when others tell them that their opinions don’t mean anything and that they may know better, they can stand up for themselves,” Watt said.
Watt also attested to the importance of the protest following the Dobbs decision.
“Especially with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I think it’s critical. I’m actually from New York, so I would like to think my rights are safe, but I know that others in other states aren’t as privileged and encounter so many hurdles and barriers just trying to get the necessary healthcare to be able to make the best decisions for themselves,” Watt said.
Among the speakers who addressed the crowd was policy researcher and public speaker DakotaRei Frausto who spoke about her own experience with the “hurdles and barriers” Watt referenced.
Frausto told the crowd that amidst Texas establishing its Heartbeat Bill, she found herself eight weeks pregnant. Since the bill banning abortions after a fetus develops a heartbeat, Frausto struggled to find access to abortion practices.
“I had to schedule an appointment with a month-long wait and travel over 700 miles out of Texas to access an abortion, all while navigating hyperemesis, bounty hunter laws and financial demands,” Frausto said.
Frausto criticized stereotypes placed upon those who received abortions, saying the largest factor contributing to her unplanned pregnancy was not irresponsibility but rather negligent policies created by the Texas state legislature.
“Rather than investing in evidence-based policies to reduce unintended pregnancy rates, the Texas Legislature has cut family planning program funding, invested in inadequate sex-ed and restricted contraceptive access,” Frausto said. “Rather than advocating for evidence-based policies that address the concerns of pregnant people, Congress continues to enforce an unlivable minimum wage, inadequate maternal leave and unregulated prescription drug price.”
While Frausto spoke to the crowd, counter-protestors led chants, played music and displayed signs criticizing abortion and Planned Parenthood.
Liberty Mildner attended the protest with Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a youth-based pro-life activism organization.
“I and everybody else came here today because we know that abortion is murder,” Mildner said. “A human life begins when sperm meets egg and a new organism is formed and a new human genome is formed as DNA and the baby starts to grow.”
Milder carried a poster depicting Adolf Hitler and a member of the KKK on opposite sides of a Venn diagram with Planned Parenthood in the middle. Milder explained her poster was intended to criticize the personal politics of Margaret Sanger, a founder of Planned Parenthood.
“[Hitler] wanted to, in his words, purify the nation, from Jews and other minorities. And that's what Margaret Sanger wanted to do. She wanted, in her words, to exterminate the weeds of society, which she considered to be Black people and other folks,” Mildner said. “So I'm here to tell them that not only are they taking part of murder, but they're taking part of great racism, classism, ableism and intended oppression.”
Jessica Newell also attended the protest with Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust to share information about abortion with protestors. Newell referenced the controversy surrounding local abortion clinic Washington Surgi-Clinic and the discovery of five premature babies allegedly aborted in the clinic.
“We can just see the injustice because we know that we've been exposed to it,” Newell said. “And a lot of it is by chance, just by prayer. The Lord has revealed stuff to us that we could have never come to realization with on our own. So we just want to share that information with everybody else.”
Newell added she believes a woman can do whatever she chooses with her body, yet one’s rights must be limited when they begin to affect another person.
“I think that our bodies are worth more than the way that pro-abortion people see bodies. They just want to sell bodies, especially human baby body parts that are harvested and sold to Pitt and different universities,” Newell said.
As crowds grew in support of both the protestors and counter-protestors, police established a barricade separating the two groups. Mildner was able to move through both crowds using rollerblades.
“I thought it'd be pretty cool to just rollerblade around the pro-aborts and tell them that they're supporting Nazis and fascism and the KKK,” Mildner said.
Edie Young, a lead organizer of the protest, said in an email to The Eagle she remained calm despite growing counter protests.
“I have found that engaging just makes it worse—that’s what they want out of you! If you stay calm, they realize you don’t play and aren’t going to feed them,” Young wrote.
Despite counter-protestors delaying their program, Young said she plans to continue advocating for rights for all women by organizing yearly rallies.
“I hope the message received is that if it’s not your body, it's not your choice, and that everyone deserves rights,” Young wrote.
Terry McGinnis shared similar hopes to Young, saying she was taking part in the protest for women to have their voices heard.
“All women are outraged, and we’re here to support women’s rights to choose and have a life they would like to have,” McGinnis said. “We would like our granddaughters to have a choice in how they live their lives.”
As election season nears, organizers acknowledged the importance of using the ballot to reflect their goals. Participants could register to vote at a table with a QR code and additional information.
“With this upcoming election and knowing how critical it is in the future, I’m making sure we get the right people in power and in positions that are able to effectively roll out policies that matter,” Watt said.
This article was edited by Mackenzie Konjoyan, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
