Marion teens rally in support of abortion rights
A group of Marion County teenagers rallied in support of abortion rights and voiced their concerns about a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision that will apparently overturn the high court’s decision in the Roe v. Wade case.
The landmark 1973 decision struck down many federal and state laws that either restricted or banned abortion altogether. The issue has been at the forefront of national politics since that time. Based on data collected by the Guttmacher Institute and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 63.4 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973.
A draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to news website Politico in early May, sparking a firestorm of rhetoric from both sides in the debate about abortion in the U.S. The Politico story called Alito’s opinion “a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right.”
Last Wednesday evening, a small, but vocal group of young women gathered outside the Marion County Courthouse to protest the Supreme Court’s pending decision.
“(Roe v. Wade) keeps abortions safe and legal. Taking that away won’t take away abortions. Abortions will keep happening no matter what and people will die from abortions,” said Alyssa Turner, a junior at Marion Harding High School. “So we need to keep Roe v. Wade in place to make sure abortions stay safe and legal.”
Noelani Holden, a sophomore at Marion Harding High School, said she doesn’t believe there should be any restrictions on abortion, a view supported by both Turner and Dulcelea Dye, a senior at Marion Harding High School, who also participated in the rally.
“I feel as if you have a uterus you have a right to have an abortion whenever you feel comfortable,” Holden said. “It’s your uterus and nobody should have control over that. It’s your organ.”
Dye said she believes there needs to be more education about sex and abortion provided to students, either by the schools or social service agencies.
“I feel like it’s viewed in such a negative light, but if we were able to give an education that was very direct and teach what abortion and sex is about, and all the choices that you have, I feel that it would become a less negative topic to talk about,” Dye said. “We need that complete education on sex and abortion.”
Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have come under fire since the draft opinion was leaked. Pro-choice advocates have staged protests outside of some of the justices’ homes.
According to a Department of Homeland Security memo that was obtained by news website Axios, the federal government “is bracing for a potential surge in political violence” when the Supreme Court officially releases its decision. Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating social media threats to burn down or invade the Supreme Court building, murder justices and their clerks, and attack places of worship and abortion clinics, the Axios report noted.
Local resource
In Marion County, the Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program/help Me Grow provides information and resources about pregnancy for individuals and families.
Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program is located at 1339 Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion. The telephone number is 740-387-8336. Information is available on the agency’s Facebook page.
Email: ecarter@gannet.com Twitter: @Andrewaccarter