At a rally organized by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, community members, advocates and lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol to speak out against the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade.
TRANSCRIPT
Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia: As you all know, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade.
Dakota Brown, protest attendee: We are just going backwards, and I think that’s ridiculous.
Mary Bauer, Executive Director ACLU of Virginia: Now our nation faces a new reality where bodily autonomy and the freedom to make medical decisions are not legally protected as a matter of federal law.
Emily Brown, protest attendee: We fought for so many years, my mother, my grandma, we fought for these rights as women, and it’s just taken away.
Melissa Chin, protest attendee: Having it stripped away right now is shocking and it’s disgusting. It’s disgusting that we have to fight for our right to be a woman and our right to choose.
Mary Bauer, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia: The burden of this decision falls so disproportionally on the most marginalized persons. Black and brown people, LGBTQ folk, immigrants low-income people, young people, those who live in rural areas.
Melissa Chin, protest attendee: There’s women 30, 20 minutes from here, even 10 minutes from here, who don’t have health care or have children that that can’t feed right now and they are going to be forced to feed another child that they can’t.
Mary Bauer, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia: The right to an abortion is not just a medical procedure, it is the right to make the most important decision about your life. All of us here will work tirelessly to ensure that abortion remains safe and legal in Virginia.
Protest Chant: “Overturn Roe? Hell, no!"
