Marchers walked through downtown, listening to the honks of cars and seeing the thumbs up from supporters. Chant guides were handed out beforehand, and when one chant ended, another was started. Photo Credit: Josephine Velo
Through the rain, marchers in downtown Kalamazoo move through the streets holding their cardboard signs high above their heads.
Women and allies alike gathered together in Bronson Park on October 2, joining over 540 other cities across the nation in the March for Women's Reproductive Freedom.
Organizers gathered many speakers both pre-march and post-march, including Wanda Mosley the Senior Coordinator at Black Voters Matter for the state of Georgia.
"I don't need legislators, I don't need lawmakers, I don't need policy people to tell me what to do with my body. I need my doctor, I need science to help me understand the choices that I have, that I will make, with my body," said Mosley.
On September 21, 2021, the governor of Texas, Gregg Abbott, signed a law that banned abortions after a six-week period. The law also allows for private citizens to report anyone who aides a woman in getting an abortion, whether it be the doctor or the person who gave the woman a ride to the abortion clinic.
"Governor Abbott, you and your party usher in these laws that tell us what we can and can't do with our bodies," Mosley stated. "But at the same time, you can deputize crazy people to challenge a woman's choice."
The topic of abortion is a personal one to many women, and lots of them shared their stories on Saturday.
"In high school my best friend actually got pregnant when we were fifteen, and of course that's a very young age to have a kid, so she made the decision to get an abortion," said Nichole Lacrosse, one of the many women who were marching in the protest. "Her life would've been so drastically different and this is the life she wanted. She is living her dream right now."
Lacrosse's six year old woke up bright and early to help her mom make signs for the march.
"I chose not to have an abortion, but that doesn't mean that other people shouldn't," said the twenty-eight year old mother of one.
Featured speaker, Kim Jorgenson Gane, also gave a personal story regarding abortion and sexual assault.
"In 1985, I had an abortion, and in 1986, that Planned Parenthood was firebombed," said Gane.
According to the NAF, violent acts against abortion clinics has been steadily rising for years. In 2018, there were 3,038 instances of obstruction of access for women trying to get abortions, 125 instances of vandalism against abortion clinics and 1,135 instances of trespassing.
Abortion clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, provide crucial services for people in all sorts of situations such as sexual assault.
"It was between '85 and '87, and there were no conversations about sexual assault. There were no resources for me," Gane said recounting her experience regarding her sexual assault.
Planned Parenthood now provides SAS (Sexual Assault Services) which provides free confidential counseling, supporting with law enforcement and hospitals and most importantly education systems.
"I am someone who has had an abortion. I am a two-time sexual assault survivor. I am someone who raised my daughter alone for six years without childcare," said Gane: activist, woman, and mother by choice.