Stillwater residents share stories and concerns at abortion rights rally
May 16—A Saturday rally at the Payne County Courthouse drew a large crowd of women and men of all ages who showed up to tell their stories, share supportive messages and fight for abortion rights.
Tori Caswell, speaking to the crowd, said abortion is part of holistic healthcare.
"We need only to zoom out from this debate about when life begins — to see a pregnant person for all that they are," Caswell said. "For their mental health, their physical health their history, their social situation and their future goals. And we can trust them to decide what they do with their bodies."
On the heels of a leaked draft opinion that would possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, some women told stories of what it was like growing up before The U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision that dismantled laws criminalizing abortion. Others told their stories of trauma.
Jess said she grew up in what she described as an extremist right-wing Evangelical Christian household.
"I was told when I got my period that were I to conceive a child in the event of rape, that it was my responsibility to carry it to term. And I understood this at 11 years old because I was raped in a church at 5," Jess said. "That was sobering for me but I believed it. And I believed, that as a woman of God, that a fetus had every right to life — had every right to my life. Didn't matter if I was 11, didn't matter if I was 12, didn't matter if I was 25.
"...at the same time, I was also taught that as a Christian, I should help feed the hungry if I was able to. But at the end of the day, whether they ate or not was not my responsibility, and their lives didn't rest on my shoulders. So why as an 11-year-old child, was I told that I would be responsible to carry a fetus to term at the risk of my health, my future, and my psychological well-being? I don't know. I don't have the answer to that."
Many abortion-rights supporters expressed fears about what could happen in Oklahoma and the United States if abortion becomes illegal. That state legislature has passed multiple laws against abortion that would be triggered if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Desiree Ingram said she remembered hearing horror stories of women bleeding out in alleyways because they were desperate to end their pregnancy before Roe v. Wade passed in 1973. Ingram said she was just a teenager when she heard and saw the death and infertility women were facing.
"I don't want to go back to that place where we don't have a comfort zone, nor should we have to," she said. "And who decided that we're second-class citizens (and) that we don't get to choose what happens to our body?"
Among the voices in the crowd was Ainsley Peters, a 13-year-old girl who said everyone deserves a right to choose what they do with their body.
"I know lots of women in my life who have had children or have not had children. But all of them deserve a right to choose if they want to have children or not," she said. "It is not fair if they have no choice but to go through torturous pain. It is our right. Everyone's right, whether you are a woman or not, to have a baby."
Peters also said this is "the land of the free," but in her opinion, trampling on people's rights isn't freedom.
Throughout this ordeal, women have said this is a woman's issue and that men shouldn't be the ones making laws and decisions about women's bodies. Jessie LaRue said he understood that, but he had a message for the women in the community.
"You're valued by this community, whether you hear it enough or not, and you don't, obviously, because you're all here, and people are against you. I've been told all my life living in this state that my opinion on this doesn't matter, and maybe it doesn't," he said. "But women's rights are a fact. And it's also a fact that you don't have as many as men, and they're chipping away on it right now. There are more men and other people in the community that do support you. They're just too scared to get out. And I hope they do. Because all of you matter to us, some of us are just scared to speak up."
The rally in Stillwater was just one of several rallies across the U.S. Saturday. Oklahoma is one of 13 states where abortion would be immediately illegal if the law changes.
Gov. Kevin Stitt approved Senate Bill 612 in April, which would make it a felony to perform or attempt an abortion unless the mother's life is at risk. If charged, someone can receive a fine of $100,000 and/or serve no more than 10years in prison.
Senate Bill 1503, a bill — similar to TX SB8, which went into effect in September, was signed by Stitt in May. SB1503 would make it illegal to have an abortion after six weeks, with no exception for rape or incest.
A Fox News poll said 50% of people believe abortion should be legal at the six-week mark, Fox News reporter Shannon Bream said.
"Well first off, (I'm) super compassionate about that. I have daughters. Cannot even imagine what that would be like and that hardship," Stitt said. "You have to choose — that is a human being inside the womb — we're gonna do everything we can to protect life and love both the mother and the child. We don't think killing one to protect the other is the right thing to do."
Stitt's Press Secretary Kate Vesper told the News Press via email that Stitt believes all life is sacred, and he will continue to defend the rights of the unborn unwaveringly.
"Governor Stitt has compassion for women and families who face hardships associated with pregnancy and believes that instead of killing one to protect the other, we should instead choose to have communities, nonprofits, churches, and the state come together and provide health care and adoption services," Vesper said.
Valerie Bloodgood, who also attended Saturday's rally, said in her opinion Stitt needs to represent all Oklahomans, not just those who support anti-abortion legislation.
"To understand that pro-choice is what they are working for as they work for their constituents," she said. "They need to think about all of his constituents," she said. "And that we are dealing with policy, not ethics and morals."
