Reproductive rights protesters rally outside a federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on May 3, 2022. (Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Jul 04, 2022
Under the banner "When women are not free, no one is free," reproductive rights defenders took to the streets of cities and towns across the United States on Monday for Independence Day abortion rights rallies in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights."
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights," Aly Whitman, organizer of a protest in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, told the Lexington Herald Leader.
At a rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, demonstrator Esta Montano told Metro West Daily News that "this is a day celebrating independence and liberty," but that this year the Fourth of July is "not really a day where we can consider that we have our liberties intact."
Montano told the paper she also protested for reproductive freedom half a century ago.
"The fact that I have to do it again--at age 68--it's unconscionable," she said.
\u201cProtest in front of the White House Getting Started NOW. We will be here till 12:15 join us.\n\nWHEN WOMEN ARE NOT FREE,\nNO ONE IS FREE\n\n#JulyFarce #July4th\n#Green4Abortion #July4\n#RiseUp4AbortionRights\u201d— Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights (@Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights) 1656949367
In Lansing, Michigan, abortion rights demonstrators blocked the city's July 4th parade.
"I think it's necessary, I think that people need to be here to show that they support women and people with uteruses," protester Madison Kearly told WLNS. "And I think that unless stuff like this happens, nothing's gonna change. And we need action."
In Orlando, Florida--where city officials apologized for an Independence Day message asking "why on Earth would you want to have a party" right now--pro-choice activists rallied at the Orange County Courthouse, where they chanted "my body, my choice" and other slogans.
"Being quiet no longer works," protester Kayla Torres told ClickOrlando.com. "This is actually my first time participating in a event like this and I'm here because if I don't fight for my rights, who is."
\u201cNOW: Over one hundred people are gathered at Main Street Garden Park in downtown Dallas for a July 4 pro-choice protest. Another protest is slated for later this evening. Follow along with this thread for coverage of the events.\u201d— steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli (@steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli) 1656951341
The reproductive justice group NARAL Pro-Choice America tweeted: "Today, we're supposed to be celebrating freedom and independence--two ideals we were raised to believe are central to our country. But after SCOTUS took away our fundamental right to abortion, we're not in the mood for fireworks--but we are in the mood to #FightBackForFreedom."
"If we don't have the ability to make decisions about if, when, and how to grow our families," the group added, "we don't have freedom."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Under the banner "When women are not free, no one is free," reproductive rights defenders took to the streets of cities and towns across the United States on Monday for Independence Day abortion rights rallies in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights."
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights," Aly Whitman, organizer of a protest in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, told the Lexington Herald Leader.
At a rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, demonstrator Esta Montano told Metro West Daily News that "this is a day celebrating independence and liberty," but that this year the Fourth of July is "not really a day where we can consider that we have our liberties intact."
Montano told the paper she also protested for reproductive freedom half a century ago.
"The fact that I have to do it again--at age 68--it's unconscionable," she said.
\u201cProtest in front of the White House Getting Started NOW. We will be here till 12:15 join us.\n\nWHEN WOMEN ARE NOT FREE,\nNO ONE IS FREE\n\n#JulyFarce #July4th\n#Green4Abortion #July4\n#RiseUp4AbortionRights\u201d— Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights (@Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights) 1656949367
In Lansing, Michigan, abortion rights demonstrators blocked the city's July 4th parade.
"I think it's necessary, I think that people need to be here to show that they support women and people with uteruses," protester Madison Kearly told WLNS. "And I think that unless stuff like this happens, nothing's gonna change. And we need action."
In Orlando, Florida--where city officials apologized for an Independence Day message asking "why on Earth would you want to have a party" right now--pro-choice activists rallied at the Orange County Courthouse, where they chanted "my body, my choice" and other slogans.
"Being quiet no longer works," protester Kayla Torres told ClickOrlando.com. "This is actually my first time participating in a event like this and I'm here because if I don't fight for my rights, who is."
\u201cNOW: Over one hundred people are gathered at Main Street Garden Park in downtown Dallas for a July 4 pro-choice protest. Another protest is slated for later this evening. Follow along with this thread for coverage of the events.\u201d— steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli (@steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli) 1656951341
The reproductive justice group NARAL Pro-Choice America tweeted: "Today, we're supposed to be celebrating freedom and independence--two ideals we were raised to believe are central to our country. But after SCOTUS took away our fundamental right to abortion, we're not in the mood for fireworks--but we are in the mood to #FightBackForFreedom."
"If we don't have the ability to make decisions about if, when, and how to grow our families," the group added, "we don't have freedom."
Under the banner "When women are not free, no one is free," reproductive rights defenders took to the streets of cities and towns across the United States on Monday for Independence Day abortion rights rallies in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights."
"We don't feel free and we don't want to celebrate a country that is taking away rights," Aly Whitman, organizer of a protest in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, told the Lexington Herald Leader.
At a rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, demonstrator Esta Montano told Metro West Daily News that "this is a day celebrating independence and liberty," but that this year the Fourth of July is "not really a day where we can consider that we have our liberties intact."
Montano told the paper she also protested for reproductive freedom half a century ago.
"The fact that I have to do it again--at age 68--it's unconscionable," she said.
\u201cProtest in front of the White House Getting Started NOW. We will be here till 12:15 join us.\n\nWHEN WOMEN ARE NOT FREE,\nNO ONE IS FREE\n\n#JulyFarce #July4th\n#Green4Abortion #July4\n#RiseUp4AbortionRights\u201d— Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights (@Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights) 1656949367
In Lansing, Michigan, abortion rights demonstrators blocked the city's July 4th parade.
"I think it's necessary, I think that people need to be here to show that they support women and people with uteruses," protester Madison Kearly told WLNS. "And I think that unless stuff like this happens, nothing's gonna change. And we need action."
In Orlando, Florida--where city officials apologized for an Independence Day message asking "why on Earth would you want to have a party" right now--pro-choice activists rallied at the Orange County Courthouse, where they chanted "my body, my choice" and other slogans.
"Being quiet no longer works," protester Kayla Torres told ClickOrlando.com. "This is actually my first time participating in a event like this and I'm here because if I don't fight for my rights, who is."
\u201cNOW: Over one hundred people are gathered at Main Street Garden Park in downtown Dallas for a July 4 pro-choice protest. Another protest is slated for later this evening. Follow along with this thread for coverage of the events.\u201d— steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli (@steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli) 1656951341
The reproductive justice group NARAL Pro-Choice America tweeted: "Today, we're supposed to be celebrating freedom and independence--two ideals we were raised to believe are central to our country. But after SCOTUS took away our fundamental right to abortion, we're not in the mood for fireworks--but we are in the mood to #FightBackForFreedom."
"If we don't have the ability to make decisions about if, when, and how to grow our families," the group added, "we don't have freedom."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.