Reproductive rights rally to be held in Aiken on Sunday afternoon

Matthew Christian, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read
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Jun. 30—A rally to protest the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson and the enforcement of South Carolina's Fetal Heartbeat Act will happen Sunday in Aiken.

USC Aiken sophomore Katie Brown and Aiken Technical College freshman Emma Lee are organizing the rally through their newly founded organization, Reproductive Rights of Aiken.

"We really like going to Columbia to get involved up there," Lee said. "One day, we were just thinking that there should be something in Aiken."

The rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center located at 1700 Whiskey Road.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson that overturned the court's previous rulings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey that returned the ability to make abortion policy to the states, Planned Parenthood of South Carolina held a rally at the S.C. Statehouse.

Planned Parenthood held another rally Tuesday, the day after the District Court of South Carolina ruled that the state's Fetal Heartbeat Law could go into effect.

The act bans doctors from performing abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.

Fetal heartbeats are usually detected around the fifth or sixth week of a pregnancy.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control use estimated fetal ages divisions of 0-6, 7-13, 14-19 and 20-23 to provide abortion statistics.

The department's 2021 report says that 48% of abortions occurred in the 0-6 range, 51% occurred in the 7-13 range, 0.6% between 14 and 19 weeks and 0.2% between 20 and 23 weeks.

Brown said her dad encouraged her to organize an Aiken rally to make sure the issue of reproductive rights isn't "out of sight, out of mind."

"We want our voices heard everywhere," Lee said.

Lee said she became involved because she felt like people should have a choice about whether to keep a pregnancy.

"I've had family that have had abortions for medical reasons or they just couldn't take care of a child at the time," Lee continued. "No matter what your religious views are, you should have the choice."

Both said feedback from the community on the rally has been positive.

Participants are asked to arrive at 12:45 p.m.

For more information, email ReproductiveRightsAiken@gmail.com.