Abortion rights group holds vigil on first day of Indiana state abortion ban

EVANSVILLE − As evening fell on Haynie’s Corner, organizers tore open a white pack of tea lights. They lined benches, crowned stoops and circled the fountain. The organizers chatted coming in but, as the setting sun caught the spray from the fountain, the only sound was the rush of water as they went back around, lighting each candle in silence.

On Tuesday, a near-total abortion ban was set to go into effect in Indiana. While the ban is currently on hold after the ACLU of Indiana filed for rehearing, the law when enforced would ban abortion except in the case of rape or incest, where abortion would be allowed up to 10 weeks, fatal fetal anomaly or life of the mother.

That evening, members of Evansville for Reproductive Justice gathered to mourn the end of abortion rights in Indiana with a vigil. Rachel Brown, who organized and hosted the event, said she wanted to make space for people to come together in a sad moment in history.

“This is a moment that people, our mothers, never thought they would see. Our mothers, our grandmothers,” Brown said. “It feels like this is a really big slide.”

Brown works at Planned Parenthood. She said she feels it’s important for people who support abortion rights to show what they believe, particularly in conservative areas. Brown believes there’s more people who agree with some form of abortion rights than who don’t, but that a vocal minority has made banning abortion a political goal. Polls support this opinion.

Amy Railey, who also works at Planned Parenthood, said events like this bring awareness to how much abortion care is needed in the region.

“We dealt with this on a daily basis,” Railey said. “It’s a horribly sad thing to have to turn people away to go to other states.”

Shae Kokomoor said community events like this, where she can come together with like-minded people, mean a lot. She was born in 1973, the same year as the original Roe v. Wade decision, and grew up knowing nothing but legal abortion.

Now, though, Kokomoor’s daughter is pregnant, and the political climate has made it “terrifying.” Abortion is a medical procedure, she said, and there are the situations where a lack of abortion access could be deadly.

Anne McKim and daughter Lily came together. Anne said the vigil is, for them, an opportunity to bring the conversation around abortion to the forefront. Their family talked about the issue and what they believed when the Dobbs decision was initially announced last summer, but that discussion hasn’t been as prevalent since.

Anne said that while her daughter can make her own political decisions, she wants Lily to know her worth. Abortion rights, to her, shouldn’t be a political issue.

“She could have a life-threatening pregnancy and in the state of Indiana, I would have to watch my daughter die,” Anne said. “That is gut-wrenching. You shouldn't have to tie it to somebody that you know and love to actually care about it.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Abortion rights group holds vigil on first day of statewide ban