PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Abortion rights rallies have been held all over the United States this weekend, including one in Philadelphia and others across Pennsylvania just days before the state's midterm elections.
Protesters from the Delaware Valley joined others from many parts of Pennsylvania Saturday at the State Capitol. They expressed why they believe Roe v. Wade should remain the law of the land, and their concern about the leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion draft indicating that the landmark court decision from 1973 could be overturned as early as this summer.
Allison Garfinkel, a health practitioner from Swarthmore, said it was vital for her to drive from Delaware County to this weekend's abortion and reproductive rights protest in Harrisburg.
"I have three daughters, and I fear that they may not have the same rights that I did growing up,” said Garfinkel.
"It's not just about abortion. It's about access to health care ... it's about women's autonomy and women being able to have equal rights."
She said that as someone working in women's health, she is concerned about roadblocks to abortion.
"In the state of Pennsylvania, a woman has to learn about the procedure and then has to wait 24 hours before she can even access that medical care,” she explained.
Human Rights Campaign Pennsylvania State Director Ryan Matthews reminded protesters that Pennsylvania primaries are Tuesday, and midterm elections take place this November.
"I get sick and tired of saying that this is the most important election in our lives, but this is the most important election of our lives,” Matthews said to protesters.
Many are concerned that if overturned, this could open the door to the Supreme Court and lawmakers across the country rolling back other rights.
"[It's] about reproductive justice, about LGBTQ rights, about racial justice."
Related
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. who plays teacher Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary which is set in a Philadelphia school, also spoke at the rally. She said Howard would have taught her kids what Louisa Adams warned her husband John Quincy Adams about when he did not originally protect the rights of women in the Constitution.
"That if you do not consider the ladies, we will have to have our own revolution!" Ralph exclaimed.
Melissa Kennedy, who is also from Swarthmore, said the government has no place to determine whether a woman should carry a baby to term.
Related
"The decision to have an abortion is a private one. It's often a devastating one,” said Kennedy.
"These are difficult decisions. They are complicated decisions. They are nuanced decisions with many different layers that a simple law and a stroke of a pen couldn't possibly appropriately plan for."
Garfinkel believes women's bodily autonomy is on the ballot this year.
"I think that we should all trust women that they are able to make that decision for themselves,” she said.
For more from KYW Newsradio:
- Download the Audacy App
- Listen live
- Listen on your smart speaker