Hundreds demonstrate at Utah Capitol in support of abortion rights
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- Protesters march through downtown Salt Lake City in support of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speaks to protesters at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Behind Mendenhall are other elected officials including the Salt Lake City Council.
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- Hundreds gather at the Utah State Capitol to protest in favor of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Camryn Fife, center, cheers for speakers at a protest for abortion rights at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Karrie Galloway, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, speaks to protesters at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Denise Weaver leads a group of protesters through downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in support of abortion rights.
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- Protesters march through downtown Salt Lake City in support of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Protesters march through downtown Salt Lake City in support of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Denise Weaver leads a group of protesters through downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in support of abortion rights.
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- A supporter of the protest for abortion rights raises a fist in solidarity as they march through downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- ACLU employee Billy Palmer speaks to protesters in support of abortion rights at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Protesters march through downtown Salt Lake City in support of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Denise Weaver leads a group of protesters through downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in support of abortion rights.
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- Protesters gather in support of abortion rights at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Margot Shepherd waits for the abortion rights protest to start on the steps of the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
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- Protesters march through downtown Salt Lake City in support of abortion rights on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
“My body, my choice.”
Walking through State Street in downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, chanting in unison, were hundreds of Utahns protesting in support of abortion rights.
The protest was one of many nationwide after the release Monday of a legal opinion draft that would eliminate Roe v. Wade and restrict access to abortions. In Utah, due to the 2020 trigger ban, such a ruling would end abortion in the state.
Denise Weaver, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a Layton native, led the crowd through the streets after the rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol.
“I think that it is shocking because it is such a blatant attack on women and on health care. It’s a health care issue for trans people, it’s a health care issue for poor women — especially a health care issue for Black and brown women,” Weaver told the Daily Herald before the protest.
On the steps of the Capitol, surrounded by crowds of supporters and a handful of counter-protesters, were representatives from Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, religious leaders and several elected officials.
Each one came up and told their stories, whether it was about an abortion they’ve had in the past or a call to action, each time eliciting cheers by the sign-waving supporters. Utah Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, encouraged people to continue protesting, to get in the streets and — most importantly, she said — to vote. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall followed her lead while other legislators, including the entire Salt Lake City Council, stood behind them. While they encouraged voting, protesting and organizing, some had harsher language — and received as much, if not more, support.
“We need a militant struggle of women and all people in the streets demanding that the Democrats who have control of the House, the Senate, the presidency that they codify Roe v. Wade with the passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act. But we need to be in the streets to demand that the Supreme Court stop this war on women,” Weaver said. She compared her vision of a “militant struggle” to the 2020 protests nationwide in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
With a shared goal in their minds, each protester found themselves at the Capitol because of the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito. Charlie May, a protester from Draper, saw the news Monday while scrolling their Twitter feed. After reading the opinion, they wanted to make their voice heard and echo arguments about an American future without legalized abortion.
“I hope that this shows our representatives that we do not agree with this and there are people who want to have the freedom to be able to choose what they do with their bodies,” they said. “Overturning Roe versus Wade doesn’t end abortion, it ends safe abortion, and I feel that our country needs to invest in its people to prevent abortion by providing health care and supporting people rather than just supporting fetuses.”
May, who was formerly pro-life, said they changed their mind after coming to the belief that there were better ways to protect and save lives than banning abortion.
While the politicians in attendance were from Salt Lake County, attendees drove from across the state to speak out. Brianna Cluck, a Provo resident, said she was concerned about the “legal can of worms” that could be opened if the opinion is eventually released as written — specifically in questioning the right to privacy. She is concerned that the decision could mean a future overturning of rulings like Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage.
Being from Utah County, which is governed almost exclusively by Republicans — outside of a handful of municipal officials — Cluck uses a conservative-styled argument in support of abortion.
“We’re all supposed to have free agency, but if we’re not allowed to make a decision because somebody — a medical decision — because somebody disagrees with it. Well, that opens a whole can of worms,” she said.
While some protesters used signs distributed by Planned Parenthood, most brought their own from home with a variety of talking points. They ranged from hurling expletives at U.S. Sen. Mike Lee to rewording music lyrics and messages of peace.
The final speaker of the day, Karrie Galloway, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, said she wasn’t expecting the protest to happen yet — an official ruling by the Supreme Court is still months away — but was encouraged at how quickly people came together.
She, along with several others, reiterated that abortion is still legal in the state and that the clinic’s doors will remain open and continue operating as long as possible.
“If this trigger bill comes to pass, this Legislature needs to be not so capricious with setting their rules. They need to pay attention to real-life Utahns who have real life struggles. … They have to listen to the doctors, they have to listen to the people who provide the services and they have to listen to you,” Galloway said.
After Galloway’s speech, a host of protesters gathered around the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s table, chanting together before eventually marching through the streets. Supporters on bicycles blocked cars on every side as they walked through the streets, eventually reaching Washington Square Park.
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