On the evening of Friday June 24th, the day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, thousands of protestors gathered on the steps of the Utah State Capitol.
The protest was organized by the Reproductive Roundtable, a coalition of organizations, including Planned Parenthood. As the pre-event music played, Karrie Galloway, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Utah, sounded optimistic despite the federal ruling.
“You know, I've been saying that I feel beleaguered, but to be honest with you today has a sense of empowerment. Though it's a very bleak day, so many people have called, written, stopped by, sent flowers, in support of Planned Parenthood, its mission, and our undying effort to continue to serve the people of Utah. Abortion is only one part of what we do, we'll be here for your family planning, your education and information, and your advocacy. But we're going to fight to get abortion back,” Galloway said.
According to Galloway, Utah has a need for just under 3000 abortions each year.
“Each of those abortions are a unique story to that pregnant person, to that woman, her family, trying to make the best decisions, to be the best contributor to Utah society. And so we are going to work to make sure, first, that women who need health care will find health care," said Galloway.
Several speakers at the protest pointed out that low-income Utahns will be hardest hit by the new abortion ban, because it will be more expensive to get an abortion due to travel costs.
“There are people who live in the shadows, whether it be their documentation, not having insurance, not having any power in this world, who won't speak up, and they need help. It's up to everyone else to talk about it, and help people know how to get what they need,” Galloway said.
