'Our rights have been slowly taken from us': Organizers plan 2 abortion rights protests this weekend in Sioux Falls
At least two abortion rights demonstrations are set to take place in Sioux Falls this weekend.
The first is a permitted gathering slated for 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday at McKennan Park, and the second is a rally followed by a community building event set for noon on Sunday.
These two demonstrations follow three others that took place in the city in recent weeks, two of which included a protest on 14th Street near Lyon Park that led to six arrests, and a protest in front of Gov. Kristi Noem’s Sioux Falls campaign office on the corner of 18th Street and Minnesota Avenue.
More: Sioux Falls police say arrests made after abortion rights protests in downtown
Each of these demonstrations is a reaction to the Supreme Court of the United State's recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, a case that had legalized abortion access across the U.S. at the federal level. The overturn in June gave states the power legislate abortion access.
The weekend's protests are also a reaction to South Dakota’s trigger law, which has been on the books since 2005 and immediately outlawed abortion in the state once the decision came down.
What's planned for Saturday’s gathering?
Organizers plan to make signs, cover the sidewalks in chalk with messages of “affirmation, inspiration and all things reproductive rights,” and register people to vote at this permitted event. Signs made at this event will be used in Sunday’s march set up by Planned Parenthood.
Althena Bjorback and MaryAnna McCullough, both 23, are organizing the gathering. The two agreed that abortion is health care, and they’re against forced births.
More: Will Sioux Falls doctors be charged for performing abortions? Here's what we know.
“Our rights have been slowly taken from us, and this is just the final straw that it took to get everyone to do something,” Bjorback said. “We’re at a point where this is really dangerous, and we felt like we had to do something.”
McCullough said she felt powerless when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“(This is) taking back some of the power in organizing an event where we could create a community – having all these other women that feel the exact same way and want to affect change," she added.
Attendees are encouraged to wear green, which symbolizes women as carriers and creators of life, the organizers said. They expect at least 200 people to attend the event.
A gathering at the courthouse
At noon on Sunday, Planned Parenthood is organizing a permitted rally with the ACLU of South Dakota for abortion rights supporters known as an “Our Bodies, Our Futures Rally and Community Building Event.”
The rally will take place on the east side of the Minnehaha County Courthouse, and the community building event will follow at Van Eps Park.
More: Planned Parenthood stops abortion services in South Dakota ahead of Supreme Court action on Dobbs
Organizers of Sunday’s rally say banning abortion is part of an effort to write outdated gender norms into the law, spelling consequences for those who can become pregnant.
“Our access to abortion shouldn't depend on where we live, how much money we make, or who we are,” Kristin Hayward, manager of advocacy and development in South Dakota for Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund, said in a press release. “We should be able to make the best medical decisions for ourselves and our families.”
Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager, said in a press release that South Dakotans support access to abortion, pointing to two times voters shot down ballot measures that would’ve banned abortion in 2006 and 2008, and a 2021 poll by South Dakota News Watch that showed three-quarters of registered voters in the state want abortion to remain legal.
“This moment demands that we come together to work toward a future where abortion care is there for everyone who needs it,” Jonelis stated in the release. “Politicians in South Dakota may have just gotten the green light from the Supreme Court to enforce their cruel agenda, but we won’t give up without a fight.”
Other upcoming rallies and protests
Another event is planned 3 - 11 p.m. at Icon Lounge on July 16. Social media posts are calling it “Re:productive” and are planning a night of community, art and music there for a $10 entry, with all funds raised going towards the National Network of Abortion Funds, which lists the Midwest Access Coalition, Justice through Empowerment Network (JEN) and South Dakota Access for Every Woman as local beneficiaries.
More: Abortion protestors gather outside Gov. Kristi Noem's Sioux Falls campaign office
Starting at 6 p.m. July 22, another group of people is expected to host a silent protest near the Levitt. Protesters will meet at the corner of 6th Street and Phillips Avenue and go to the Levitt from there, where the Nadas are scheduled to perform that night. The demonstration is not meant to be disruptive, organizer Heather Cain said, adding she did not have a permit for the protest.
Organizers across the state are also planning a protest at the state capitol in at 2 p.m. on July 23 in Pierre, according to social media posts reviewed by the Argus Leader.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Protests by abortion rights groups planned for Sioux Falls on weekend
