Demonstrators gather to show support for abortion rights Saturday in Pine Grove Park
Standing at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron Saturday, Lakeport resident Lesley Lambright, 75, held a sign that depicted a coat hanger and the words "Never Again" in bold blue letters.
Lambright was there with about 50 other people showing her support for reproductive rights following a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that could overturn Roe v Wade. The landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision established the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S.
It's a cause Lambright knows well. She wore a pin from a 1986 women's rights march in Washington, D.C. She has been fighting for women's rights for the past 50 years.
"The fact that potentially the Supreme Court is going to take away a right makes me so angry," she said. "I'm so sad and upset."
People gathered at the demonstration that was organized by St. Clair County Democrats. Party officer Jim Frank said they hope the demonstration raises awareness about abortion rights.
Demonstrators waved signs that bore depictions of coat hangers, female reproductive organs and slogans that advocated for reproductive rights. Cars and motorcyclists cheered and honked as they drove down Pine Grove Avenue.
The demonstrators started gathering at the park at about noon. As of 1 p.m., Frank said he had not seen any counter-protestors.
He said the party believes a person's right to choose whether to give birth is a fundamental right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and it's a grave mistake to leave that legislation to the states.
"The right to choose is very much a right that women and all Americans have," Frank said.
Beyond the day's demonstration, Frank said the party will continue to support the re-election of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and other Democrats and state representatives who have vowed to protect reproductive rights.
'How are we any different from a slave?'
For many in the crowd, abortion rights are personal. Lambright said she had an illegal abortion at age 20, before abortion was legalized, because she felt she had no other option. While she doesn't regret it, she said she almost died from blood loss.
"If we can't control our own body, how are we any different from a slave?" Lambright said.
Several other older women who remembered a time before abortion was legalized said they had classmates or friends who had illegal abortions and even knew a few that died as a result.
Carolyn Holley, an 83-year-old Port Huron resident in attendance, said she doesn't want to return to a time when women did horrible things to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. If abortion is outlawed, it won't prevent it, it will only make women seek dangerous abortions, she said.
Holley said she has two granddaughters. She wants them to be able to make their own reproductive choices.
"I want (my granddaughters) to be treated better. I want them to be treated equally with men," she said. "We're doing better but we're still not there."
Danielle Wright, 25, of Croswell, waved a sign that read "We are not ovary-acting" with a depiction of an angry uterus. She said she doesn't plan on having children, so the potential for Roe v. Wade to be overturned is concerning.
She also worried that if reproductive rights fall, other rights for women will too.
"It's just not right for the government to tell us what we can and cannot do with our bodies," she said.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Abortion rights demonstrators gather in Port Huron Saturday.
