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Lexus London (left) and Liandra Dematteo (right) march at a Pro Choice rally in Ogden on Saturday October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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Priscilla Martinez speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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Jaccari Kelley speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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A protester carries a sign reading “Keep Abortion Legal” at a pro-choice rally held at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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Kay Hoogland speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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Raquel Juarez speaks at a Pro-Choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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A child holds a sign at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
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People listen to the speakers at a pro-choice rally held in the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Harrison Epstein, Standard Examiner
❮ ❯
Lexus London (left) and Liandra Dematteo (right) march at a Pro Choice rally in Ogden on Saturday October 2, 2021.
Priscilla Martinez speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Jaccari Kelley speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
A protester carries a sign reading “Keep Abortion Legal” at a pro-choice rally held at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Kay Hoogland speaks at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Raquel Juarez speaks at a Pro-Choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
A child holds a sign at a pro-choice rally taking place at the Ogden Community Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
People listen to the speakers at a pro-choice rally held in the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
OGDEN – Protests for reproductive rights across the country, including Salt Lake City, rallied dozens outside the Ogden community building on Saturday. Protests related to the Women’s March centered on the anti-abortion laws enacted in Texas and Mississippi, which severely restrict access to the procedure.
While Roe v Wade was ruled nearly 50 years ago, it has often been challenged with a variety of laws across the country. Still, a Conservative majority of 6: 3 in the Supreme Court have some concerns that the ruling may be successful in the future and the possibility of an abortion withdrawn.
“I am at an age where I can benefit from Roe v. Wade was, and these young people don’t know what it is like not to have that legal option. After 40 years I am fighting again to ensure that young women and their partners have this right, ”said Angela Urrea, one of the organizers of the event.
The fears were spread across generations. Participants ranged from children and teenagers to those who experienced and remembered the land before Roe.
For Liandra Dematteo, one of the youngest organizers at the age of 19, the topic is close to the heart.
“I was in a foster family as a child, so I know the struggles in a foster family and the abuse by foster families. I know all of this and, to be honest, I wouldn’t want anyone to have a foster home, ”said Dematteo. “If a woman chooses to have an abortion, that is her right. Regardless of whether I had one or not, that doesn’t mean I should stop them. “
Passers-by honored their car horns throughout the morning to support the crowd. Others also expressed their opposition to the protesters’ messages. Most of the participants bought their own signs with messages of tame – “Really ?! Again?! Not on my watch! “- too flammable -” If I wanted the government in my womb, I would – a senator. “
The crowd marched down 25th Street, singing, and holding their signs past the crowd at the farmer’s market.
Each of the guest speakers shared their own perspective with the crowd. Priscilla Martinez, a community attorney and alumna of Northwestern University, took the podium with a direct message.
“We have enough. Enough to limit our ability to make decisions about our lives. Enough of depriving our fundamental rights of individual decisions, ”said the Ogden City Council candidate.
Martinez alleged that there had been insufficient care for too long, especially for women of color, and stressed the importance of ensuring that all women have the right to choose.
When she took the stage, local activist Jacarri Kelley was wearing a red shirt that said “Black Lives Matter”. Kelley began her healthcare career at Utah Women’s Clinic, one of the few in the state to offer abortion services. She worked there for five years.
“Women don’t do abortions because they want to; We have abortions because we have to. It’s the toughest decision we have to make as women, ”she said.
Kelley shared her own story that she had a medical abortion due to an ectopic pregnancy. She shared her personal experiences to get a direct line on the six-week abortion ban in Texas.
“If I had been in Texas and had an ectopic pregnancy, I would have died because they didn’t touch me with a 10-foot pole,” Kelley said. “They might not care if we were alive at the end of the day. Because if they did, housing would not be an issue at the moment, care in foster families would not be an issue and our health system would definitely not be an issue. “
The youngest speaker was Raquel Juarez, a native of Ogden and a 2019 Ben Lomond High School graduate. Juarez, who wore an outfit modeled on Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” used the book as a starting point for her speech and shared her experiences as a youngest person to take over the microphone.
The legal aspect of the event was provided by Kay Hoogland, alum from Ogden High School, attorney and former company director. Hoogland, who was also editor of the Virginia Law Review and a former partner at Seyfarth Shaw, said she felt it was unlikely that Roe would be overturned entirely, even with a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.
“I have to make a legal prediction and I hope it will come true. The court rarely withdraws recognized fundamental rights. It recognized a woman’s basic right to choose an abortion, ”she said.
Despite her optimism, she advocated continued vigilance towards legal transactions and perseverance in getting her message across. Going forward, Urrea hopes the protest is a fresh start for Indivisible Ogden and leads to more regular protests in the area.
The rally also included tables set up by Students United for Reproductive Freedom and the League of Women Voters. Regardless of the language used or the different messages, all participants shared the same philosophy, a message reinforced by the organizers on circular signs – “Keep Abortion Legal”.
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