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#BansOffOurBodies — Thousands rally for abortion rights on Seattle’s Capitol Hill

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Rep. Suzan DelBene

By Hannah Saunders with reporting from CHS

Thousands filled Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park Saturday to call for the protection of Roe v. Wade. Thousands marched through the neighborhood calling for the protection of women’s rights and to respond to the leaked Supreme Court decision by speaking out against the erosion of civil rights in the country.

Beth Riven said she was there because she cares about the health and wellbeing of women and girls in the United States.

“Hopefully this is a rallying call for not only Seattle, but others around the country and in fact, around the world, that fascist moves by a Supreme Court will harm everyone, including men and families—not only women and girls,” Riven said.

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene was the first speaker to take the microphone during Saturday’s rally.

“This is a combination of Republicans’ decades long effort to take away women’s freedoms, and it breaks my heart that my daughter — so many young women out here — could have less rights than I did at your age, and it won’t stop here,” DelBene said.

“This is an issue that affects all of us,” said DelBene. “Even if you’re not a woman or you don’t think this issue impacts you, I hope you’ll remember something that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, which is ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’.”

Organized by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund as part of #BansOffOurBodies protests in more than 400 cities this weekend, Saturday’s rally was the latest centerpoint of Seattle protests, gatherings, and actions from many groups across the region including groups like Refuse Fascism Seattle that gathered later Saturday afternoon at Seattle Central before marching on Broadway with rally attendees and groups joining for a full day of protest and speaking out. Friday, the Beauty in Our Community group held a youth-focused action in the park to kick off the weekend of protest.

The energy and attention also brought out anti-abortion opponents including street preacher groups who now frequent Capitol Hill to target its gay bars and LGBTQ-friendly establishments in efforts mean to provoke and inflame. Saturday, a moment of conflict came to a head at Pine and Harvard on the southwest edge of the Seattle Central campus where police reported a group of around 20 people fighting and somebody had deployed pepper spray just before 1:30 PM. There were minor injuries reported but no immediate reports of arrests at the scene.

Seattle Police and its POET Public Outreach Engagement Team provided a large law enforcement presence around the rally and bike cops tailed the marches and counter-protesters to try to help clear traffic and stop any skirmishes.

Meanwhile, a television news helicopter buzzed incessantly above the crowds, a sound that has become part of the neighborhood’s troubled memories of CHOP and the 2020 Black Lives Matter and anti-police protests.

Safety volunteers including medics and bike and car brigades assigned to help protect the march from traffic were also present Saturday.

A protester at a May #BansOffOurBodies rally in Cal Anderson

Back in the park, Rachel, a volunteer at Planned Parenthood and a leadership member of Kitsap Troublemakers was another woman who took the stage to talk about the importance of choice, and the power of stories.

“When I was 16, my mother forced me to keep an unintended pregnancy,” said Rachel. “After learning I was pregnant, I considered my options, and I asked my mother to help me get an abortion, but she refused.”

As a minor living in Virginia, Rachel did not have access to a safe or legal abortion without parental permission. Her mother wanted her to carry the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption due to personal beliefs.

“But like 91% of people who are forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy, I knew I would end up parenting the child,” said Rachel.

Rachel told the thousands of audience members how her mother assured that she would assist with the baby, and that everything would be okay. Rachel gave birth to her son in October during her senior year of high school, and within about a month, she had to drop out to care for the baby.

“After he was born, my mother asked us to move out because she couldn’t afford to care for both of us and I couldn’t get a job to help contribute,” said Rachel.

At that point, one audience member shouted, “FUCK YOUR MOM!” The speaker laughed and explained how they don’t speak anymore as the crowd cheered in support.

Alex Skinner said he attended Saturday because of the belief that protesting is the next best thing he can do right now — after voting.

“I believe it opens the door to the stripping of a lot of other rights,” said Skinner, who said gay marriage and disability rights could be next in need of defense.

“I don’t think everyone really sees that the patriarchy hurts everybody, including men,” said Skinner. “I’m not really here for men though, either. I’m here to support women’s right to choose. I want to have autonomy over my body — I want them to as well.”

 

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Below Broadway
Below Broadway
1 year ago

If you followed this event in person you saw what a cross section of Seattle was represented. If you followed social media hash tags, you saw primarily extreme left hijacking the event for an attempt to attack authority on all topics, related to this and not. I’d like to ask just this once of antifa and marxist left if you could leave your usual tries to overthrow Capitalism aside just this once, and stop making an important issue all about you. Specifically all about you. It’s not your job to fundraise for Socialist Alternative in the middle of a real issue that impacts literally half of America. Please and thank you.