Chants of “bans off our bodies” and “the Patriarchy has got to go” were heard far and wide across Conn’s campus on Thursday afternoon as hundreds of students came together to protest the leaked Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. Organized in less than a week by the CC Feminist Coalition, the impact of this event could be felt everywhere on Thursday: through students wearing green to support the movement, chalking the steps in front of the library, and making posters for the event.
While some were worried this event might be just a group of students on Temple Green, the protest had many different parts and featured speakers and demonstrations from students and faculty. At 5 pm, an estimated 200 students flocked to Temple Green with posters proclaiming “No Uterus, No Opinion,” “Pro-Life Until They Are Born,” and “Abortion Rights Are Human Rights.” There, the student organizers spoke—bullhorn in hand—about why it is critical for each and every one of us to be standing up for abortion rights. They shot down the idea of reproductive justice as a “women’s issue,” highlighting that it is not just women who need abortions, and that cis-men should also feel a responsibility for keeping this fight alive.
From there, the crowd marched to the library, letting their voices be heard as they chanted for the right to choose. A five minute moment of silence was held in the library to honor all the people who have lost their lives to unsafe pregnancies and illegal abortions. This moment was incredibly powerful, seeing such a large crowd taking up space and demanding to be seen within the front doors of the library. After the moment of silence, the crowd mobilized once more, assembling outside Cro for speeches by students and faculty from the Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality department. One speaker shared a story about her experience with emergency contraception, while others read poems demanding a change in leadership in Washington. One of our own Her Campus Conn writers even performed a monologue chronicling a student’s experience with abortion at 16. Each of these speakers were incredibly impactful and did a great job reminding the crowd why action against the Supreme Court leak is so important.
I was very fortunate to be able to get in touch with Ana Flood and Abby Dawson, two first year students from the CC Feminist Coalition. They acknowledged how this protest was only the first step each person in attendance should take in acting against the ruling:
“We must demand congress to codify abortion rights into law. We must demand our state legislatures to pass bills that make states a safe haven for abortion providers. To prohibit state courts from enforcing a different state’s penalties against someone who has provided an abortion considered legal in their state. We must vote for the governmental representation that will fight to protect our right to an abortion.”
I loved the way the speakers recognized that this event was being held from a privileged position. They acknowledged that though abortion may still be legal in Connecticut come July, the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a threat to everyone, and we should stand with those who would be forced to cross state lines, or who will make the hard choice of performing an unsafe abortion because they cannot afford to travel for the procedure.
Protests have been taking place all week in cities across the country, including Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Houston, and many more. While this is an uncertain time for all, coming together to support each other is essential.