People on both sides of the abortion issue in Alabama are waiting for what comes next regarding abortion rights. A leaked draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court is prompting speculation that Roe versus Wade could soon be overturned.
A crowd of more than 70 abortion rights supporters gathered in Fairhope. Their demonstration came just a few days after the leaked draft indicating that Roe v. Wade could be overturned and abortion banned in Alabama.
“I'm very excited about the response,” said one organizer, who gave her name as Leigh. She’s with the group called Fem South.
“We haven't seen one for women's reproductive rights, for women in general, so this is really exciting to see such a big turnout,” said Leigh. She states the news Roe could be tossed out after almost 50 years was stunning.
“I was anticipating it, but it's shocking when it actually comes out and it's just shocking. It's shocking that we're going backwards like this, that we have to still stand up for our own rights that there are those who want to take them away from us in places of power right now,” said Leigh.
“I am very positively surprised about the turnout and support, not just for people who came out and stood with us and chanted and came out, but also just passersby,” said Mette McCall, another organizer. She says a lot of people in downtown Fairhope backed their effort.
‘People that waved and gave us a thumbs up and honked their horn and supported us. We definitely had more people in support than we had hecklers, so I was very heartened to see that,” said McCall.
A few people did indicate their disagreement. Including this person…
“I don’t believe in murder,” said the unidentified passerby.
McCall says an abortion ban is going to have a big impact on women in Alabama.
“I felt especially living here in Alabama, what this is going to mean for women here in our state specifically. If Roe v. Wade is repealed we are going to have abortion outlawed and it's going to, even in the case of rape and incest, women are not going to be able to seek an abortion, which is absolutely horrific to think about that would be the real scenario if Roe v. Wade repealed, so that was one of the main reasons that I came out to protest,” she state.
McCall says a ban won’t stop Alabama abortions. It will just drive them underground.
“It's very important to make people understand that banning abortion does not make abortion go away. It bans safe abortions. Twenty five percent of women in the U.S. during their child-bearing years will have an abortion. About 50 percent of pregnancies are actually unintended, so if you look at that data and you look at abortion, it is not going to go away by banning it. What we need to do is make it safe and legal,” she said.
McCall says a ban would also force women to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion, an option that many won’t be able to afford.
“I think that it stands right now is if you want an abortion right now in the state of Alabama if Roe v. Wade falls, you would have to go to North Carolina,” she believes. “You would have to go so far away to do that and that is not feasible for so many women that are seeking abortion. So, they're going to be in a very dire situation and those are the kind of women that we are out here to protest, that we are here today to support and let our voices be heard that this is not OK.
One group watching and waiting to see what the high court does is Planned Parenthood Southeast. Lauren Frasier is the director of communications.
“So, that's super concerning because this will leave 36 million women in a situation where they have no access to critical health care and most of those folks will be located in the South and in the Midwest,” said Frasier.
She says they’re already making plans to help Alabama women get the procedure out of state.
“At Planned Parenthood, we have hired a patient navigator in the past month knowing that the Supreme Court ruling would be happening in June and so what we're doing is making sure that our patients, no matter what happens are well aware of all the options for care that are available to them and we're also gearing up to support patients by directing them to access states should it be the situation that they're unable to get care in the state of Alabama and the other states where we offer our services,” said Frasier.
She says some women will be able to make such trips, but not everyone.
“The thing is people who have the resources to travel to get care, they're going to get the care that they need no matter what,” said Frasier. “But, even so, it is such as shame that anyone would have to expend their resources and dip into their own financial reserves to travel for what has been for the last 50 years constitutionally protected healthcare. But for those who don't have the means to do that, where does that leave them?”
On the other side of the issue, abortion opponents are also making plans. Emily Montague helped create March for Life Mobile
“We are cautiously optimistic that Roe will be overturned, but we also recognize the fact that this decision isn't going to be welcomed by everyone and that our work really begins in earnest if it is overturned,” said Montague.
She says women facing motherhood need more options, including better child care and support in their jobs.
“There will still be people who feel the need for abortions who feel they can't be a mother and we want to, first of all, empower those women to realize that they can do it. That there is support out there for them and that we will walk with them every step of the way, even throughout the life of their child,” said Montague.
She says that women making choices about their pregnancy are not deciding just for themselves.
“As a biology major, I had to study human development and mammals are unique creatures in that we carry our young for a certain amount of time, but those young within our bodies are not our bodies and we have to recognize that,” said Montague. “That child didn't ask to be created, didn't ask to disrupt your life and it shouldn't be punished. It should be given a chance at a life, just like everybody else and that asks a lot of women and I recognize that. I'm a mother of four myself. And I just really feel like if we can change attitudes and mindsets to see that that is a person and we meet the needs of both the mother and child I think a lot of other people's attitudes would change toward it too, but I think all too often, we look at it as this is my body, my choice, but there is another human being involved in that choice. It's not just one person.”
Montague says the decision is not a victory for one side and that people should talk about the issue.
“All the people in the march recognize that there are people that are going to be very upset and we see that and we recognize that. It's not an us/them kind of victory. We want to help,” she stated. “We want to be there and stand in the gap of the change. We want to help people adapt and come to a better place if that's at all possible. And I think that it is.”
Others fear that overturning Roe v. Wade could have an impact beyond abortions. Again, Lauren Frasier of Planned Parenthood Southeast.
“This is unprecedented for these modern times and we know that not very long ago birth control was just as stigmatized as abortion as abortion is today before that it was the right to vote and before that it was the right to own property, so while this is a different battle, this is certainly the same fight,” said Frasier.
The Supreme Court decision could come as soon as next month.
