I recently attended a pro-choice protest against the overturning of the Roe v. Wade court case. Jane Roe v. Henry Wade was a court case in 1973, in which a pregnant Jane Roe challenged Texas’ criminal abortion laws. The landmark decision made by the U.S. supreme court is most famously known for its precedent on abortions in the United States. It was ruled that those with the ability to become pregnant were granted the right to choose to have an abortion.
This decision caused an argument on whether abortions should be legal. The opposing sides, self-named “pro-choice” and “pro-life” have had rigorous discourse since this court case. In the light of recent news, a new fire has been sparked into this disagreement.
Protesters were scattered across Bardstown. A group of protestors led by The Party of Socialism and Liberation began at 972 Baxter Avenue and continued on several blocks. Many of the protesters had gone with the larger group but a few dozen were still going strong on that corner. Upon seeing the smaller crowd, I immediately jumped out of my car and joined them in their chanting despite having planned to join in on the other protest. They immediately drew me in with the amount of energy you could feel coursing through the remainder of the crowd. The protesters were of various ages, races, and genders and were all very passionate about their cause.
I attended the pro-choice protest for about half an hour to take photos and talk to the protesters about why they were protesting, who they were, and how they were affected by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.