Lowell mobilized for abortion rights, now must organize

I had the best view in Lowell on Sunday, June 26 — standing in front of City Hall, looking out on a sea of abortion rights supporters. Despite the sweltering heat, more than 100 people gathered at the Rally for the Right to Choose to make our position known. We must do everything in our power to protect and reinstate the right to abortion nationwide.

The rally was organized in less than 72 hours by state Rep. Vanna Howard, D-lowell, and community activists, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on

June 24. Devastatingly, the court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which has protected the freedom for Americans to seek abortion care since 1973. As I shared with the rally crowd, I’ve never known a time without the constitutional right to abortion. I fear this was a right many people took for granted — until it was stripped away from us.

Despite the court’s decision, the right to safe abortion access and care remains legal in Massachusetts. This is thanks to the work of advocates and the Legislature who fought to codify the right to abortion by passing provisions of the Roe Act into law in 2020, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We can all breathe a slight sigh of relief knowing that the majority of Lowell’s state delegation at the time voted to make that codification possible.

We can also take comfort in knowing that every single member of the Lowell City Council supports a person’s right to choose. On June 28, two proabortion and pro-choice items were put before the Lowell City Council, one calling for Lowell to be named an abortion rights sanctuary city, and the second calling on the Legislature to codify the executive order Gov. Charlie Baker issued on June 24 that prevents Massachusetts from cooperating with other states’ criminal investigations into those who travel to our state for abortion care.

The first, introduced by Councilor Paul Ratha Yem, is inspired by cities like Seattle and will now undergo further review.

The second, introduced by Councilor Wayne Jenness, will be sent to Lowell’s entire state delegation and leadership on Beacon Hill, and recognizes that abortion is health care and that the City Council “supports the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care.”

Both motions were seconded by Councilor Kim Scott and were unanimously passed by the City Council. Following Scott’s seconding of Councilor Yem’s motion, she shared that it is important for our city to “respect a person’s right to bodily autonomy and access to health care.” I couldn’t agree more.

While the vast majority of elected officials who represent us in Lowell at the municipal, state, and federal levels unequivocally support a person’s right to choose, we cannot allow this comfort to become complacency; we cannot afford to lose the momentum from Sunday’s rally.

I’m proud of how quickly Lowell mobilized to acknowledge that forced pregnancies and forced births are unjust. But in order to effect change and stem the harmful public health impacts of the erosion of the right to choose and access to reproductive health care, we must stay organized.

Together, we can donate to abortion funds to make access possible nationwide, no matter where an abortion seeker lives.

Together, we can help elect pro-choice candidates for president and the U.S. Senate in battleground states to ensure that future appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court are for justices who embody our values. Together, we can urge the state Senate to pass An Act Expanding Protections for Reproductive Rights, which has many far-reaching benefits related to access to care, and urge the House to pass An Act Relative to Healthy Youth, which would encourage the teaching of comprehensive sex education in our schools, sending a message that Massachusetts values prevention and bodily autonomy.

Together, we can show up to the polls on Sept. 6 and Nov. 8, committed to voting for prochoice candidates up and down the ballot.

As state Rep. Howard encouraged us all during the rally, “We will, together, undo this decision.”

If we don’t, I’m terrified of which rights and freedoms we’ll lose next.