‘Backwards in history’: Inland Northwest crowds protest Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade
COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – From coast to coast, cities across the country protested the rights of abortion in the “Bans off our Bodies” protest.
Monday will mark two weeks since the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion, which suggests Roe vs. Wade could be overturned and states will make their own decision regarding abortion rights.
Thirteen states will automatically outlaw abortions, including Idaho, if the Supreme Court decides to overturn the 1973 landmark.
Protesters took the streets in Spokane and Idaho Saturday, clearly showing their stance on abortion, and the worries they have if Roe vs. Wade gets overturned.
Candace White, a protester in Coeur d’Alene, said she was a senior in high school when the history law went into place. To find out that nearly 50 years later it could be overturned, she was in disbelief.
“It’s not official but I was very shocked that they would do that. It’s like going back 50 or 100 years for women,” White said.
“Terrified. terrifying. The fact that we’re going to go backwards in history,” added Ashley Dorr, another Coeur d’Alene protester.
READ: Report: Supreme Court draft suggests Roe could be overturned
While Washington state leaders have expanded abortion access for women recently, Idaho, however, has been further restricting abortion.
Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a trigger ban in recent years, saying that if Roe vs. Wade gets overturned, abortion would be outlawed in the state and it’d be a felony. Doctors could face up to five years in prison.
In addition to that law, the Idaho legislature recently passed a bill to allow families to sue a doctor up to four years after an abortion is done. This was modeled after the Texas law.
“There’s a lot of forceful, political figures who want to impose their own personal opinions on people and their bodies and I don’t think that’s okay. I think we deserve to stand up for ourselves and I believe the women of this county deserve to be stood up for because they are under attack,” said Rose Hicks, the co-organizer of the Coeur d’Alene march.
As the crowd continued its way down Sherman Avenue Saturday in the Lake City, a few counter-protesters stood across the street showing off their own views.
Melba, who did not want to give her last name, said she had an abortion that she regretted. She wanted to protest against those who are pro-choice.
“Abortion is ending a human life because when a woman’s pregnant, they’re not pregnant with a puppy, they’re not pregnant with a kitten. They’re pregnant with a human being,” she said.
The park in front of the Red Wagon at Riverfront Park was full of protesters on Saturday evening, as people were passionate, protesting for their abortion rights.
Kelsie Andrews, a Post Falls resident, traveled to Spokane to join the protest.
“It feels like I don’t live in a community that values me as a person and makes me feel like – I mean, guns have more rights than I do. And that’s not okay. I deserve health care,” she said.
The Supreme Court decision should come down over the summer.
READ: Idaho gubernatorial candidates explain their stance on abortion
READ: What would happen in Idaho, Washington if SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade
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