'Don’t agonize, organize': Wayne church takes part in nationwide abortion rights rallies
WAYNE — For Susanne Markman, taking part in a rally to protect abortion rights was an easy decision to make: it was the only thing she could do to honor the memory of her former student.
Markman, a former teacher from Woodland Park who was pregnant in 1968, had a student named Rena, an eighth-grader who unbeknownst to Markman was also pregnant.
"She came over and touched my tummy to wish me well," said Markman. "A week later, she was dead from a back alley abortion."
Markman was one of over 70 abortion-rights advocates that stood outside of the Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Saturday afternoon to call on the Supreme Court to not reverse the 50-year precedent set by Roe v. Wade. More than 380 "Bans Off Our Bodies" demonstrations for abortion rights were planned for Saturday across the country, with the largest crowds expected in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Austin, Texas, according to organizers.
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Markman said she wasn’t surprised by the decision from the Supreme Court to look into reversing Roe v. Wade, but she was very disappointed. This disappointment hasn’t slowed her down, however, and she stressed the importance of making her voice heard.
"Don’t agonize, organize," said Markman. "Let’s stop crying about things and organize."
The church welcomed the abortion rights advocates on their property. The crowd held signs and shared its own stories about why the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision should not be overturned.
“We feel a responsibility to do what we can in these times to promote social justice, women’s rights and to fight for what’s right,” said Rich Nasch, president of the Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
The advocates emphasized the importance of increasing the percentage of active voters, saying elected leaders are a critical part in preserving a women's right to choose.
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Cindy Simon of Wayne said voters needed to send a message that "religion has no place on Capitol Hill and that women have a right to maintain their own health care decisions." She also urged people to get involved with politics, even if it's only 10 minutes a day.
"If we get out and vote, we can win," said Simon. "But we have to get out there."
Others believed that taking away women's rights could be the start of other rights in the country being challenged, such as same-sex marriage. Tom Van Denburgh, a Wayne resident who serves as a communication director for American Atheists, said as a gay man, he knew women's rights "were the first to go" and that people needed to stand up to protect women's rights and LGBTQ rights.
"The Supreme Court has destroyed the separation of church and state," said Van Denburgh. "When they do that, they can impose their religion on you, and that's exactly what they're doing."
Hailey Read, a journalism student from Sussex County Community College, said she was sorry that the older generation had to keep protesting every decade to preserve women's rights, but that she had faith in the younger generation to continue to keep the ball rolling.
"I think we're going to be the generation that puts the nail in the coffin and puts an end to this," said Read.
This story contains reporting from USA Today.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ church takes part in 'Bans Off Our Bodies' abortion rallies
