Reproductive rights protesters head to Madison County Courthouse following Roe v. Wade decision
Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, Sarah Hemann and Olivia Berry organized protests against this decision taking place in front of the Madison County Courthouse and the Bond County Courthouse through social media groups they formed titled Southern Illinois Reproductive Rights on Facebook and Southern Illinois Women's March on Instagram.
Forming the Protest
"I was just really angry with the Supreme Court's decision overturn Roe vs. Wade," Berry said. "I was looking around for local events, and at the time, I didn't really see any and I was like, 'Man, I'm mad enough about this, so we have to get something together' … We never intended it to get this big, so it's been pretty awesome to see it grow."
Postponement
Although the protest was pushed back a few hours due to the rain, many of the protesters who came out before seeing the postponement continued to protest despite this.
Morning Protesters
"We're here to support women's rights, to really just protest the decision that was made my the Supreme Court that we do not agree with," said Ciara Bickline (left) of herself and fellow protester Amber Hubbard. "I think that we both share the belief that abortion is necessary in health care, and it shouldn't be up to the choice of men to make that decision."
Afternoon Protesters
Following the rain, a larger crowd, along with organizers, gathered in front of the courthouse and began to set up their tables.
Raising Awareness
"We're obviously not going to get the Supreme Court to reverse their decision by any means," Hemann said. "But we're trying to raise awareness for states like Missouri, which had trigger laws in place, as well as keep [Illinois's] protected in general by getting people out there to vote."
Katherine Daniels
"Women have been telling me, 'I am furious. I can't believe that, even though I may not be able to have children anymore, that my children, my daughters are not going to be able to decide whether or not they want to have a child,'" Katherine Daniels, Illinois 15th Congressional District State Central Committee Woman for the Democratic party, said. "So I think that there's a lot of people that are upset, they're angry, they're disappointed with what the Supreme Court did, especially with the particular three Supreme Court justices that really have no business being on the Supreme Court."
Madison County Democratic Party
"I want to invite anyone who feels that this decision violates their rights to join their regional, local Democratic organizations, because the platform of that party agrees with their concerns and the more folks that we have within the system fighting to get candidates who will support choice, fighting to protect gay marriage, fighting to protect our transgender community, the better," Chair of the of the Edwardsville Township Committee, a group of precinct people who work on behalf of the Madison County Democratic Party, Chantal Chandler said.
(3) comments
These women transphobic af acting like only women can get pregnant. Smh 🫃🏾
We’re you at the protest?
?
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.