Abortion rally held in Waynesville

Sinclaire Carr, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·1 min read

May 16—About 50 people gathered in front of the Haywood County courthouse Saturday to protest stricter laws on abortions in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court document suggesting the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

The protest was organized by local resident Heather Hyatt-Packer and supported by representatives from the democratic party.

"It is a very pressing issue. I am a product of a teenage pregnancy so I understand how difficult that is as a child of a teen mom. Also, I'm a sexual assault survivor. Fortunately, I've never had to make that choice myself but I believe that those who can get pregnant should have the opportunity to choose an abortion if they needed to do so," Hyatt-Packer said.

Hyatt-Packer organized the even through social media with the help of friends.

The protest's program included personal stories, songs, and a call to get out and vote by local democratic party representative Julia Buckner.

"Last year in 2020, over 650,000 democrats in the state of North Carolina did not go vote," Buckner said. "If you want to elect people who are pro-choice...you have to get out and vote."