'Surprising shock': Protesters march in Evansville streets as Roe v. Wade falls
EVANSVILLE, Ind. —"We won't go back!"
Dozens of Evansville residents chanted that mantra as they marched downtown in protest against Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"Surprising shock," protest organizer Jenn Moorhead said, describing her feelings. "I knew (the decision) was coming, but it was almost a numb feeling that went straight to being angry."
Moorhead put the march together by posting on Facebook and sharing the event on a website that tracked protests nationwide. In a few hours, other members of the community rallied behind her at the old Vanderburgh County Courthouse.
They finished their march at the Winfield K. Denton Federal Building, where Indiana House candidate Katherine Rybak spoke about the decision and detailed how she believes state politicians should respond.
Gov. Eric Holcomb has called for a special legislative session on July 6. Indiana is one of 26 states that either have "trigger laws" that banned abortion as soon as the decision came down, or that are expected to outlaw or severely limit the procedure in the coming weeks.
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"Reading the opinion was the most gruesome thing that I've done," Rybak, a Democrat, said. "Voting matters and elections matter. We got this decision because of a change in the court."
The decision, a 6-3 vote, came from the court's conservative majority — three of whom were appointed during Donald Trump's presidency.
After the speakers finished, the protesters stood along MLK Boulevard and chanted and waved their signs. Some cars honked in support as they drove by.
Anastasia Strodel carried a sign with her four girls that read, "My body my choice."
"I want my daughters to know I will always support their right to do what they want with their bodies," Strodel said, tearing up.
William Smith, meanwhile, carted a sign emblazoned with, "I'm normally not a sign guy but... geez."
"I've always been pro-choice. I believe in a woman's right to an abortion," Smith said. "I'm definitely here supporting my wife and her right to choose."
No counter-protesters attended, but Evansville police officers waited nearby. Earlier in the day, a group of anti-abortion residents stood along a pedestrian bridge over the Lloyd Expressway, holding signs and waving at passing cars.
Moorhead said there will be more protests to come.
"This isn't necessarily going to affect the Evansville Country Club and their families," she said. "It is going to affect people living in poverty."
'People are going to die'
While it's not known what exemptions, if any, will be offered when Indiana legislators convene next month, Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, said the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus will advocate for people who can get pregnant.
"While we're expecting the Republican supermajority to restrict abortion access as much as they can, we in the IBLC will work diligently to insure that the difficult and extremely personal decision to have an abortion will remain between a woman and her doctor," Shackleford said in a news release.
The ACLU estimated that if abortion is outlawed in many s, pregnancy-related deaths will increase by 21% nationally. For Black women, that number could jump to 33%.
"I'm afraid with that happening people are going to go back to old-fashioned means (of abortion)," Moorhead said. "People are going to die."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Protesters in Evansville fight SCOTUS Roe v. Wade, abortion ruling
