'It's such a big topic': Burlington teens spurred to speak out after Roe v. Wade overturned
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade ruling, some Burlington teenagers became plunged into politics watching their social media feeds fill with their favorite content creators making their thoughts on abortion clear.
Sara Woodall, 15, was among them. She quickly made the choice to attend Burlington's Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights evening protest on July 5.
“I did not care about anything that had to do with presidents, politics, government or anything along those lines,” Woodall said of her life before June 24.
That was when the Supreme Court overturned 50 years of precedent with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson's Women's Health Organization.
Over the following days and weeks, protests were held throughout the United States in favor and opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade, including the two in Burlington on July 5. Approximately 200 people attended the evening protest, Woodall among them.
Earlier: Dozens gather in Burlington to protest overturn of Roe v. Wade
'This involves me': Burlington 15-year-old inspired to speak up after Roe v. Wade overturned
After marching from Snake Alley to Burlington Memorial Auditorium, members of the crowd had a chance to speak. Woodall said she felt particularly inspired by another girl her age, Kelli Edwards March.
Edwards March told the crowd that she had spent several years in foster care and felt frustrated about the narratives that were being told.
"I know that there will be more kids in foster who will have the same issues I did: no love, no attention, no home," she told The Hawk Eye later that evening.
Too often, Edwards March explained, teenage girls have their voices silenced. Teenagers go through a period of time of finding out who they are, but that doesn't mean that their voices aren't important, she said. She was the first to speak and encouraged other women to tell their stories of why abortion rights are important to them.
As Woodall listened to the stories of women who made difficult decisions to have abortions, and stories of abortions that occurred before it was legal, she said she realized that there was a story missing — hers. Despite her hesitation, she decided to speak.
"This involves me, who I am and who I'm going to be," she said.
In her impromptu speech, Woodall told the crowd that she has an auto-immune condition. While pregnancy itself may not pose a danger for her, going off of her medication would. She said there are many women who need abortions for medical reasons other than their life being immediately in danger, but that's something that may not be talked about as often.
More: How are Iowa abortion laws affected by the U.S. Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade?
Frustrated by not having a vote, worried about what may come next
When the idea that Roe v. Wade might be overturned was leaked in March, Woodall said her TikTok feed was full of discussion about it, but it didn't seem real. When the decision was officially announced, Woodall said she spent two hours on the phone with a friend, talking about what it might mean for their future.
"It's such a big topic with such small individual parts to it that no one talks or cares about," she said.
It wasn't just Woodall and her friend, either. Everywhere she went on social media, she saw her favorite influencers talking about it. The more she heard about it, the more interested she became. She'd been told that Roe v. Wade was about abortion, and that abortion was about not wanting to have kids, but she was surprised to learn all of the medical reasons an abortion might be necessary.
Even though she won't be an adult for a few more years. Woodall stressed that reproductive rights aren't something that become important once someone turns 18. Woodall said she has had classmates who have gotten pregnant and had abortions. It's difficult for her to imagine what life would be like as a teenager while trying to raise an infant.
More: Restricting travel for abortion would be 'unconstitutional,' Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says
Woodall said she feels frustrated that there doesn't seem to be much she can do about the abortion issue. She will be one of the last among her friends to be able to vote because her birthday falls just a couple of days after the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election. She pointed out that she will be a legal adult by the time the winner of the 2024 presidential election is sworn in, yet will have had no say into that decision that will affect her life over the next four years.
She is concerned about what legal precedents could possibly be overturned next. Others mentioned by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurrent opinion included the legality of gay marriage and having access to contraception.
“There are so many other things that can come from this,” Woodall said.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Iowa teens talk about impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned
