A year after Roe’s fall, Women’s March returns to press for abortion access
On the one-year-anniversary of Dobbs, Washington Post reporters spoke to pro-choice and pro-life supporters about what a post-Roe America looks like. (Video: Joyce Koh, Whitney Leaming, Alice Li/The Washington Post, Photo: Craig Hudson/The Washington Post)
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Janisann Hay, 65, beamed with pride as she and her granddaughter, 16-year-old Sophia Paxton, made their way Saturday to the gathering spot for the 2023 Women’s March outside Union Station. “I’m so proud of you,” Hay said to her granddaughter. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. ArrowRight Hay, fueled by her desire for women to have autonomy over their own bodies, attended a women’s march last year. But this was Paxton’s first time joining such a demonstration, and she was eager to participate.
“I’m grateful that I can use my voice and actively contribute to creating the change we desperately need,” Paxton said.
The grandmother and granddaughter, who came from Maryland, were among hundreds who turned out in Washington on Saturday to advocate for expanded abortion rights on the first anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The crowd gathered at Columbus Circle under a blazing sun squinted their eyes as they listened to speakers. Some held pink umbrellas. Others had signs that read “Bans off our Bodies” in bold purple letters.
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Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, told the crowd that advocacy is instrumental one year following Roe’s reversal.
“We’re going to kick them out,” Timmaraju said of legislators passing laws that greatly restrict or ban abortion. “And how are we going to do it? We’re going to do it by flexing our muscle as the majority.”
For Black women, advocating for reproductive health goes beyond abortion, Regina Davis Moss, president of the National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, told demonstrators.
“It’s about being able to decide when I want to have a child and when I don’t want to have a child,” she said. “Stop assuming you know what’s best for me.”
The gathering was part of the “#StillTheResistance” day of action from the Women’s March, alongside other reproductive rights groups, to reflect on the fall of Roe and advocate for reproductive health as abortion access becomes increasingly limited by some state legislatures.
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More than a dozen states have implemented full or partial bans on abortion, with Georgia prohibiting the procedure at six weeks — before many women realize they are pregnant. The battle for abortion access has also continued in state courtrooms, with abortion rights advocates seeking to block restrictive laws. Some states such as California and Maine have enacted legal safeguards to enhance abortion access.
One year ago, Mya Walker was in St. Louis, taking in the news that Roe — the law of the land for 49 years — had been overturned.
Neighbors and family in her suburban community applauded the reversal. Shortly following the news, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed a near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Walker, 19, said she was terrified.
“What about me?” Walker said. “What about your daughters? What about the women in your life? What if I’m raped and need an abortion?”
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Walker, a junior studying public policy at Howard University in D.C., said she tells friends and family back home to seek reproductive care in neighboring states such as Illinois, which has abortion rights protections. She doesn’t plan to return to settle in Missouri.
“I don’t see a future for me there,” she said.
Sonia Garcia, 37, stood out among the marchers. She was dressed as Wonder Woman in a star-spangled, form-fitting bodice adorned with red and gold accessories.
Originally from Mexico, Garcia, 37, moved to the United States 15 years ago. She says she’s attended every Women’s March since 2016 in costumes that symbolize feminine strength. Previous ensembles included the Statue of Liberty with the caption “Abortion equals Liberty.”
As a finishing touch to her outfit Saturday, she wore a pin that boldly stated: “abortion.”
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“I was always passionate about dressing up. And Wonder Woman is a very strong symbol for women, to keep us together,” Garcia said.
As the afternoon wore on, the crowd marched to the Supreme Court, where a group of antiabortion demonstrators had gathered carrying signs that read “Abortion is murder” and “Fetuses are people.”
Both groups remained peaceful, with no reported incidents of violence, according to an officer on the scene.
On the side of the Women’s March, 65-year-old Darilyn Gould said she traveled from Manassas Park, Va., to attend. As a U.S. Army veteran, Gould was frustrated that women who enlisted to serve find their rights under threat.
“Can you imagine telling that to a woman serving her country right now putting her life on the line?” Gould said. “That is her right. She’s signing up to protect your rights — give her hers.”
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Gould was also dismayed by the turnout, especially what she thought was a lack of younger people.
“At my age, I think that this should be overwhelmingly 50 and under, overwhelmingly 30 and under,” she said. “This is … more than the right to choose an abortion. It’s about respect.”
Nadine Seiler, 58, of Waldorf, Md., joined one of the abortion rights demonstrations last June soon after the Supreme Court’s decision. She returned Saturday holding a banner that spanned both her arms and read “SCOTUS is Illegitimate” — a chant echoed by numerous marchers.
“We have to participate,” she said. “If we don’t participate, we’ll find ourselves in the next five years reminiscing about what America used to be like.”
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Source: The Washington Post
