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Protesters gathered Tuesday night in downtown Portland, troubled by a Politico report of drafts by Supreme Court justices arguing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that has guaranteed the right to safe abortions in the United States for nearly 50 years. Portland’s hundreds of protesters joined thousands across the state, and in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Diana Brewington brought her young daughter, Jen, to march in Portland after reading Politico’s report less than 24 hours earlier. “We feel that abortion rights are central to women’s health care, which is a human right for all of us,” Brewington told WW.
All told, as many as 600 people gathered in the downtown squares near state and federal courthouses—the site of mass unrest for much of 2020. (Two leftist groups—the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Party of Socialism and Liberation—organized separate demonstrations that commingled.)
A few people engaged in property destruction—breaking windows at City Hall, at the Starbucks on Southwest 6th Avenue and Jefferson Street, and at upscale cafe the Portland Exchange—but by the time of this report, Portland Police Bureau officers did not appear in the streets. (Police later said they arrested one person on charges of reckless burning and disorderly conduct in the second degree.)
“We understand that this [opinion] is a draft, but this should not be a draft,” said Mimi Adams, a PSL organizer and owner of apparel company Mimi’s Fresh Tees.
Adams and a fellow organizer named Jaz echoed fears that the legal argument that undercuts access to legal, safe abortions could have broader implications, impacting civil rights already under legislative attack, including transgender people’s rights to gender-affirming health care, same-sex couples’ rights to marriage equality, and a broader attack on the right to privacy.
“Laws should not take away rights to our own bodies,” Jaz told protesters after they marched through downtown Portland.
Kayla Aronhalt told WW she was encouraged by friends to attend her first-ever protest, and felt encouraged by what she witnessed Tuesday night.
“There are so many circumstances and situations you can’t predict. In general, no matter what the situation may be, we have a voice and we have a right to choose our bodies,” Aronhalt said. “I find it so empowering that all these people, men and women—men are standing up for women, that’s even more empowering! I’m so grateful to be part of such a colorful community.”
Photos by Blake Benard:
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