On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, a collection of Islanders — in unison with organizations and women across the country — made a call for the protection of women’s rights.
A group of 20 women gathered at Edgartown Harbor Light on Monday afternoon, holding signs, advocating for women’s rights and highlighting the ramifications of the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision. The decision overturned the 1973 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision protecting a woman’s right to have an abortion.
The impromptu gathering, amalgamated through social media, was organized by Chappaquiddick residents Janet Constantino and Mary Giordano.
“We were a group of local Island women sharing our thoughts and fears with what has happened with the Dobbs decision and the future of reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, education opportunities, contraception, women’s rights that have been taken away and are threatened by the Republicans’ agenda,” Terre Young, board president of the Friends of Family Planning of Martha’s Vineyard, told the Times via text. “This is a very vulnerable time for all Americans!”
Carla Cooper, chair of the Edgartown Democratic Town Committee, said there were “women’s strikes” across the country organized by the Women’s March, a feminist organization. “It was a sit-out by women,” Cooper said, saying some people decided not to go to work or shop today as a form of strike.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey backed abortion access when she visited the Vineyard last summer, and she reaffirmed her commitment to protect reproductive rights in the state on Monday.
“Two years ago, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, I pledged to the people of Massachusetts that we were going to protect and expand reproductive freedom. Working together with our legislature and incredible healthcare providers and advocates, we’ve done just that,” Healey said in a statement. “But with continued attacks on women’s health and freedom across the country, and the Supreme Court poised to rule any day now in a case that could prevent pregnant women from receiving emergency, life-saving treatment, we must continue to act. That’s why I’m signing an Executive Order today affirming that Massachusetts patients will continue to receive emergency abortion care at our hospitals regardless of the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
Cooper said she was “disgusted” the Dobbs decision had ever taken place.
“What we’re seeing is what we expected to see: the rollback of women’s rights and what’s coming down the pipeline,” she said, pointing to efforts to restrict birth control medication, in-vitro fertilization, and divorce. “It’s killing women.”
Women have reproductive rights?
Since when?
Godless People make Evil choices and serious repercussions will live with them forever and ever. They need to stop using rape as an excuse no one said they could not abort if they were raped or it was a medical issue. It’s just a sick killer instinct from the spirit they live by.
Margie — why do you think you, or anyone else, should have a say in my reproductive choices? It is truly none of your business.
Juleann, exactly!
Margie, around 14 states have banned abortions for pregnancies due to rape or incest.
“no one said they could not abort if they were raped or it was a medical issue.”
A Trump quality lie.
Many States allow abortion including MA RI and NH. Not too far to go. Your so called rights have not been eliminated. The Dobbs decision was to let States determine.
andy–tell that to the people of Idaho.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/idaho-most-extreme-anti-abortion-state-law-restricts-travel-rcna78225
I wonder what you would think if Ma. banned worshiping in so called
churches, and you had to travel out of state to congregate with fellow believers.
And don’t think banning church services is so far fetched.
it’s already happening
https://www.aclu.org/issues/national-security/nationwide-anti-mosque-activity
And why not ban church services ? People bring small children into those places
where they get the crap scared out of them in order to indoctrinate
them into what some people call a dangerous cult.
It happened to me. I’m still wondering if after I die, I will be cast into a
pit of fire to suffer in excruciating pain for the rest of eternity.
As a child, I was told that many times –often in a church by people that I trusted
who claimed to get their information directly from the one and only “true” god.
Typical ignorant male privilege comment. You think a poor minor girl in TX who gets raped can just travel to MA to obtain a legal abortion? The Donbs decision has resulted in states allowing women to bleed out in ER parking lots when they have an ectopic pregnancy. I honestly don’t know how anyone can be this stupid.
By this logic, the rights of African Americans were not abrogated if they did not live in the Jim Crow south. Utter nonsense.
Why should states determine women’s reproductive rights? Yes, we have them in certain states but for how long? Thank you for protesting against the reversal of Roe vs. Wade on this second anniversary.
My greater concern is why we are allowing MEN to determine reproductive rights/choices. I am particularly galled that as all of this has been going on no one demands that the man equally responsible for the pregnancy occurring in the first place is not required to belly up to the bar to bear all financial responsibility for the child.
Thank you Janet and Mary.
This radical group does not even understand what happened. There was a law on the books that was unconstitutional they have known that for decades and chose to do nothing about it. Even there beloved Notorious RBG had voiced concern over this issue. You can still have your abortions and in many states and North Carolina even allow abortion after the baby was born. All this far left Group wanted was publicity and if they want to really make a change, they need to change the law and start writing petitions. But don’t worry, Massachusetts will always allow you to have an abortion. And in some cases, they will help you pay for it.
“North Carolina even allow abortion after the baby was born””’
Source?
Abortion is unconstitutional?
Should abortion be unconstitutional in Massachusetts?
Nationwide?
Is it a moral issue?
“in many states and North Carolina even allow abortion after the baby was born”
You do understand this is utter nonsense, don’t you? You cannot abort after birth.
Partial birth abortion. The baby is partially born
andy– put the shovel down and give up the lie.
Keller I did not cite that. I support the notion that exceptions should not be used to make a point. You and Armstrong need to research partial birth abortions and admit they happen. Your buddy Obama voted ”present” when the government voted against them.
Statistically, 100% of late-term abortions were to save the mother’s life. Most of those women desperately wanted the baby and had already painted the nursery.
Define partially born.
Does partially born mean without a brain?
Bob, I heard Trump say that some states allow abortions after the baby is born. Trump is lying. No state allows executions of babies.
Some states allow adult executions.
Just curious why conservative states, that claim pro-life stance, allow adult executions?
This radical group does not even understand what happened. There was a law on the books that was unconstitutional they have known that for decades and chose to do nothing about it. Even there beloved Notorious RBG had voiced concern over this issue. You can still have your abortions in many states, and North Carolina even allow abortion after the baby was born. All this far left Group wanted was publicity and if they want to really make a change, they need to change the law and start writing petitions. But don’t worry, Massachusetts will always allow you to have an abortion. And in some cases, they will help you pay for it.
At the fear of repeating yourself.
Do you object to tax funded medicine?
Bob– An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy.
Once the fetus is outside of the body, the woman is no
longer pregnant, and therefore whatever happens to the newborn
baby is not an abortion. But there is always a grain of truth,
no matter how misconstrued and twisted it may be to comments
like yours. Since you didn’t post anything to back up your
assertion about abortion after birth, I will.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/18/us/north-carolina-abortion-born-alive-bill/index.html
Ms Cooper, try not to use improbable exceptions to make your larger point. The illogical juxtaposition never works. No one is allowing anyone to bleed out. Teddy Kennedy used coat-hanger analogies during the 1987 ambush of Robert Bork. Hysteria pure and simple.
andy– actually, people are bleeding out.
here’s one example In Ohio :
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/11/15/1135882310/miscarriage-hemorrhage-abortion-law-ohio
how about this one in Texas ? :
https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-sepsis-life-saving-abortion-care-texas/story?id=99294313
want 20 more examples of it ?
Just google it.
And please don’t lecture us about improbable exceptions.
Your ninja warrior buddy Bob up there is falsely claiming that
babies can be “aborted” after birth in North Carolina.
Talk about hysteria —
And I guess you think no woman ever died from a
botched home abortion attempt with a coat hanger ?
Keep abortion legal, and it will be safe.
Just because it doesn’t happen to you, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It is. Women are being told to go home and wait until they start passing a dead fetus before they can get life-saving treatment for miscarrying. Women are being denied life-saving care for ectopic pregnancies. Women are experiencing fatal fetal anomolies and being denied abortion care – forcing them to carry an inviable fetus in their uterus, which could kill them incidentally. I don’t expect you to Give a crap about any of that because, as a male, it doesn’t apply to you, therefore, it isn’t important. When you watch your college roommate bleed to death in front of you because she didnt have access to a safe, legal abortion… or when your daughter gets raped by a “back alley” abortion provider, then you can have an opinion on this. Until then, you can stop offering your ignorant presumptions and wildly inaccurate takes on this. Because, frankly, it’s embarrassing.
Andy, how many women have died from coat hangar abortions?
Suicide?
I refer everyone posting here to a book by Leslie J. Reagan, When Abortion was a Crime.
She, a historian, studied “dying declarations” of women dying from illegal abortions in Illinois in the early 20th century. It is an eye-opener and reveals what could start happening again in many states (if not the entire country, if the anti-abortion movement gets its way).
Andrew, it wasn’t hysteria pure and simple for this Texas woman when she died. Tell her family what you think.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/01/15/abortion-high-risk-pregnancy-yeni-glick
Cooper, in a country of 330 million, we will always have some incidents that are tragic for families particularly when abortion is often used as birth control. Being a male has nothing to do with this issue. 33 percent of women are against abortion for any reason. That is a lot of women. Yes we will have exceptions but your citing them does not make a strong case. By the way Google partial birth abortion which crosses the line from abortion to infanticide. You will find that procedure very attractive.
andy– In a country of 330 million people with about a million actual illegal
immigrants, some tragic incidents will happen. So when the 2 murders
by illegals happen in a year you understand that yes, we will have exceptions but your citing them does not make a strong case against immigration.
Sorry Andrew, it has EVERYTHING to do with men being in charge. Those 14 states that don’t allow abortions in the instance of rape are perpetuating an environment OF rape. Men in those 14 states will see rape and the possibility of pregnancy as just another way to harm a woman. The woman will not only have the violence of the rape, but the resulting child, and the financial responsibility of the child. If that isn’t bad enough, EVEN if the man doesn’t pay child support, he will have the legal right to visitation!!! What woman should have to endure those multiple nightmare scenarios?!
And if you (wrongly) believe that abortion is being used as birth control, then let’s provide LOTS of birth control, free of charge, to anyone who wants it, including teens.
States do not ban abortions. Elected officials who represent the majority of the state’s population are elected to pass legislation either for abortions or anti-abortion. So are all these signs I see posted on the island about saving Democracy actually people who are pro-abortion? It would seem so. There’s a decidedly anti democracy thread running through the above comments.
John, no one is Pro-abortion. Mostly people want the freedom to do with their own health and their own bodies. Please answer my earlier question: Why do people who say they are pro-life, are ALSO in favor of execution of criminals? Real, living, breathing humans?
One is innocent the other is not. Do you see the difference Hansen?
Andrew, all life is precious, do you see that?
Mary. If someone kidnaps my daughter, then rapes her, then murders her—- that persons life is not precious.
So why was the Far Left so supportive of mandatory poorly tested and mostly useless Covid vaccines? Where was “the freedom to do with their own health and their own bodies” then? People lost their livelihoods over those ridiculous mandates.
Democracy?
The majority want abortions.
The State is the majority.
The majority of Americans want abortion, nationwide.
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