'Outraged': Frederick Countians protest overturn of Roe v. Wade
Jun. 25—Protesters filled the courtyard outside the Frederick County Courthouse on Friday to speak out against the loss of abortion rights.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday morning overturned the landmark case Roe v. Wade, which protected access to abortion for nearly 50 years. The issue is now up to the states to decide.
In Maryland, the right to an abortion is protected. The General Assembly passed legislation in 1991 to protect abortion in state law, according to The Associated Press.
Though abortions can continue in Maryland, local residents gathered to express their outrage over the Supreme Court's decision and what it will mean for millions of Americans in other states.
New Market resident Eileen Hickey, 63, struggled to express herself.
"I can't even find the words at this point," she said.
Hickey was driving when she turned on the radio and heard the news.
"Oh, my God. They've done it," she recalled thinking.
Hickey said she is "outraged" and thinks the majority of Americans who support abortion are not being heard.
Middletown resident Rachel Wood, 42, said the overturn felt like a "gut punch." She is a mother to two daughters.
Seven-year-old Eliza joined her at the protest. She held a sign she made herself, covered in rainbows.
Erin, a representative from Baltimore Abortion Fund who declined to give her last name, encouraged activists to donate time and money to abortion care groups.
Erin said Maryland clinics expect an influx of patients from other states that have banned abortion. She said there was a surge in volunteer applications after the news broke.
People in the crowd stepped forward to share their personal experiences with abortion. They handed a pink megaphone from one hand to the next.
One person got an abortion because they were an alcoholic. Another was a teenager who felt woefully unprepared to be a parent, and contemplated suicide.
An older person said they traveled to a foreign country to get an abortion because they were not legal at the time.
Members of the crowd cheered each person who spoke. Tears fell from many eyes.
The Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel, 63, donned a shirt representing her church, the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick, while holding a protest sign. She said she wanted people there to know there are clergy who support those who seek abortions.
"We will love them," Kershner Daniel said.
While she respects other religious expressions, Kershner Daniel said she does not appreciate the court "taking away my choice."
She fears the Supreme Court will come for same-sex marriage next. Kershner Daniel officiated one of the first same-sex weddings in the county after it was legalized.
Many protestors lifted pink and white signs into the air that read "Bans off our bodies."
Holding a sign, Frederick resident Debbie Brown, 57, was joined by her son Randis Brown, 28.
Randis said he was "disgusted" by the overturn of Roe. When he heard the news, he thought of his female relatives and friends.
Debbie said she and her son have protested together before to support the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ rights.
"We need to come together as a community and support the good," she said.
While some protesters held signs, Frederick resident Brenda Schroeder held a piece of paper with black-and-white photos. Pictured among them was her sister, and her sister's son and his two children. Schroeder said her sister had a life-saving abortion 40 years ago.
"We would not have them in our family now," Schroeder said, looking at the images, had her sister not gotten the care she needed.
Schroeder said her sister became pregnant while an IUD embedded itself into her uterus. She would have bled out, Schroeder said, and doctors recommended an abortion to save her sister's life. Her sister got the abortion and gave birth to her son later on after she became pregnant again.
Down the street from Schroeder, four women held a giant banner that said "Votes for women."
They all work at Kaslick & Prete LLC, a law firm on West Patrick Street. Attorneys Lorraine Prete and Mary Beth Kaslick said they heard the protest from their office and decided to join, along with coworkers Pam Campbell and Sandy Chisholm. They, too, were "outraged" at Roe being overturned, they said.
Their law office got the "Votes for women" banner in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote.
"We put it away, not knowing we would need it again," Prete said.
The banner that was once displayed in celebration had become a symbol of protest.
Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller
