A few hundred people gathered in Lexington Friday night and spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the right to an abortion. For a few hours cars honked in support as protesters chanted, “My body, my choice,” and “We won’t go back.”
The court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade made abortion illegal immediately in Kentucky, one of several states with a trigger law.
The gathering was hosted by Planned Parenthood Advocates Alliance.
Rabbi David Wirtschafter of Temple Adath Israel said that the decision, “is an assault on our democracy.”
“When we deprive over fifty percent of the population of the electorate of bodily autonomy; we don’t have a democracy,” he said.
Marissa Webb, a volunteer with the Kentucky Health Justice Network, said the organization uses its donations to help pay for the cost of an abortion and other costs like travel expenses.
“Now we will have to go to Virginia or Illinois, and for the next 30 days Ohio and Indiana — that costs, the time off of work, the childcare costs, that is what your money is going toward,” Webb said.
Senator Reggie Thomas, a Democrat who represents parts of Fayette County, said other rights may be at stake.
“Understand that this could easily be just step one in what lies ahead,” Thomas said. “Justice Thomas even said in the opinion today that after this decision, let’s review conception, let’s review gay marriage. We have got to stop this train now.”
David Kloiber, a mayoral candidate, said if elected in November he would advise the police and judiciary…“Not to go after and prosecute these kinds of crime. When there’s so much violence in this city, when there’s so many other things that are out there that can protect our citizens more, we don't need to be going after people who are victims in all of this.”
Angela Evans is the presumptive Fayette County Attorney elect. She said emotions are high right now.
“A lot of people are hurting, a lot of people are frustrated and mad, and it was important to be here to show my support and to express my own frustration,” she said.
Aimee McCanney showed up because she fears for her young daughters.
“We have less rights than a gun right now. I mean you can carry anywhere; you can do anything with a gun…but what about my rights as a human being?” McCanney said.
“I fear every day I send my seven year-old to school that she’s going to have to go on a lockdown because of an active shooter or she’s not going to make it home because of that.”
A ballot initiative this November will ask Kentuckians to decide if the state constitution should be amended prohibiting the right to an abortion.
