Protesters supporting abortion rights take to the streets in Tucson

An estimated crowd of 600 gathered in support of abortion rights Tuesday evening in front of the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse in Tucson.

Protesters holding signs and chanting slogans lined the sidewalks at Congress Street and Granada Avenue as evening traffic crossed downtown.

Speakers took turns sharing their abortion stories and encouraged attendees to fight back against increasingly strict anti-abortion policies.

Organizations across the state called for supporters of abortion rights to rally in public spaces Tuesday to protest the draft of a U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion that appeared to question the legitimacy of the Roe v. Wade decision.

A copy of the leaked document obtained by Politico and published Monday suggested the Supreme Court is preparing to repeal the 1973 landmark ruling legalizing abortion in the United States.

More: What you need to know about Supreme Court opinions: A guide on Supreme Court votes and opinions

'Someone you love has had an abortion'

Camille Gonzalez, 31, a postpartum doula with a master's degree in public health and maternal/child healthcare, held a sign that read, "Someone you love has had an abortion" on one side and "Birth Workers for Choice" on the other.

"This is very near and dear to me," she said. "We don't talk about abortions much, so a lot of people don't realize how many people in their lives have had to go through it."

While the decision can be difficult, Gonzalez said, access to abortions give people options and opportunities they wouldn't be able to have with an unwanted pregnancy.

Many at the rally expressed frustration and anger at the repeal of rights gained decades prior, while others shared their experiences with unwanted pregnancies.

In context: In Arizona, a repeal of Roe v. Wade could mean a near total ban on abortions. Here's what to know

Stephanie Jackter, 62, a Tucson resident since the '80s, remembered her very personal experience with abortion.

"I walked into my mother's bedroom and found her laying in a pool of blood," she said.

Jackter said she had aborted her unwanted pregnancy on her own and punctured her uterus in the process. This was in the '60s before Roe v. Wade had passed, she said. A small child at the time, she remembered her mother being taken away to the hospital.

"She survived and I wasn't made an orphan that day," Jackter said, "but it was a stroke of luck."

Attending the rally and looking at the faces of young women who might experience the same thing as her mother, she couldn't help but feel triggered.

"My stomach is churning," she said.

"We're frogs in a pot right now, I am married to a woman, will that be negated too?"

"It's a matter of supporting equity"

Gabriela Cazares-Kelly, Pima County recorder, attended the rally as a supporter, not as a speaker.

"I'm here because half of the United States and the global population have uteruses and we are talking about a medical issue that should be determined between a pregnant person and their medical provider," she said while in front of the Tucson courthouse.

Cazares-Kelly has been vocal on social media about her support of progressive policies.

This is going to hurt poor women the most and representing that community is important, she said.

"It's a matter of supporting equity."

"Rich pregnant people have always been able to have access to transportation to places where they can have a safe abortion," she added, "but women who live in poverty are first more likely to not have access to birth control or education about sexual health and are automatically going to be at higher risks of having unplanned or unwanted pregnancies."

Politicians are not making decisions based on the needs of the people or the needs of the community, Cazares-Kelly said, but are pushing their personal religious or conservative agendas. Steering the conversations towards individual choice so people realize they have a voice in the debate is important, she added.

"We are no longer ashamed to talk about abortions, we are no longer ashamed to talk about reproductive health and the impacts on our community. We are no longer sitting idly by as these conversations occur without people with uteruses in the [expletive] room."

Reach breaking news reporter Julie Luchetta at jluchetta@arizonarepublic.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Protesters supporting abortion rights take to the streets in Tucson