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‘I Feel Terrified, to be Honest’

By Jim Sabataso
THE RUTLAND HERALD
Several weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, around 250 people gathered in Main Street Park in Rutland on Saturday for a rally in support of Vermont’s proposed Reproductive Liberty Amendment.

The court’s 6-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last month stripped away people’s constitutional protections for abortion, undoing nearly 50 years of precedent established in the landmark 1973 decision.

The Reproductive Liberty Amendment, also known as “Prop 5,” is a measure on the November general election ballot, which, if passed, would amend the Vermont Constitution to protect a person’s reproductive rights, including whether to become pregnant, use temporary or permanent birth control, or seek an abortion.

Earlier this week, Republican Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement declaring the Reproductive Liberty Amendment would be on the November ballot.

“Vermont has a long tradition of supporting a woman’s right to choose. These decisions are deeply personal and belong between a woman and her health care provider, free from government interference,” the governor stated.

Saturday’s rally was organized by Vermont for Reproductive Liberty, a coalition of reproductive rights advocates, including Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, ACLU of Vermont, Alliance for a Better Vermont, and the League of Women Voters of Vermont.

Many rally-goers wore T-shirts with the phrase “Bans off our Bodies” printed on them and waved signs displaying a variety of messages, such as “Girls just wanna have fundamental rights,” “Abortion is health care” and “Vote.”

Alyssa McDermott, of Rutland, said she came out to show her support for reproductive rights.

“As both a woman and a gay person, I just feel like our rights are constantly in danger, and so I want to make sure my voice is heard,” she said.

She noted that reproductive freedom was about more than choosing to have an abortion.

“There are people who desperately want to bring their child to full term, but something happens and they can’t. I’m here to fight for them, too, because they could lose their life if they are forced to carry a child to term that is not viable,” she said.

McDermott was accompanied by her sister, Stephanie, who traveled from Connecticut to attend the rally.

“I feel terrified, to be honest,” she said. “I have my own reproductive health issues. And if anything were to go wrong, and any sort of medical procedure needed to be done, that would be considered an abortion, and I might not be able to receive that and it could take my life.”

Dana Smith, also of Rutland, said she also was troubled by the court’s ruling.

“We’re worried about the trickle-down effect of this and what could happen next and further, you know, setting boundaries on our own bodies and our own choices, and telling us what to do. And we’re not here for that,” she said.

The day’s speakers shared a variety of perspectives and personal stories about their first-hand experiences with abortion and other reproductive health issues.

Mary Gerish said reproductive liberty was about the right to choose whether to have a family, noting the history of forced sterilization of Indigenous populations.

“The point is that we each need autonomy over our bodies so that we can have what we need when we need it,” she said.

Henri June Bynx, co-founder and co-director of the Ishtar Collective, a labor rights group with a focus on consensual sex work, described her difficult decision to have an abortion after accepting that, despite how much she wanted have a child, her circumstances at the time were not conducive to it.

“I know I made the right decision, but I mourn what could have been my child every day of my life,” she said. “I mourn her as I am thankful for the freedom to do my work that I do now.”

Bynx went on to detail the lack of compassion she received from male emergency responders after experiencing complications related to her abortion.

“If you and your body are not under threat by the overturning of this critical point of health care access, I urge you to please watch the space that you take,” she said. “Do not tell us how to feel. Don’t tell us what to do. Do not trivialize the decision you will never face when that, even in success, can end your life if you don’t receive proper care.”

Local activist Jennie Gartner expressed grief for the marginalized populations she said are currently being targeted by oppressive laws and hate nationwide, as well as the loss of people’s bodily autonomy.

Gartner said despite her anger and grief, she was drawing inspiration from her recently deceased father by choosing compassion.

“One thing my dad impressed upon me again and again and again was that it was the most important thing that I could do, to go out into the world and to get good things done, but without hurting anyone else in the process,” she said. “This is perhaps a lesson the Supreme Court should learn: to, first, do no harm.”

Rabbi Ellie Shemtov, of the Rutland Jewish Center, said Jewish law states that a fetus becomes a person only at birth, and a mother’s life is the highest priority.

She noted in Judaism, the safeguarding of human life is imperative, meaning, under some circumstances, abortion is mandated.

“On June 24, the Supreme Court took away my religious freedom,” she said.

Mia Schultz, president of the Rutland Area NAACP, closed the rally, saying she was speaking for people of color who, she noted, were not well represented in the crowd.

Schultz said people of color have been fighting a war for bodily autonomy for centuries — a war, she said, that is still being waged within systems and policies that continue to oppress marginalized groups.

“Let’s be clear: We cannot separate abortion from our reproductive rights and bodily autonomy,” she said. “We are now in the midst of a crisis … and the implications for BIPOC people and LGBTQIA are even scarier.”

Schultz called for unity in the fight, urging people to get involved beyond Vermont.

“Because we have a whole other country to worry about. We’re talking about collective liberation, right?” she said. “We are a nation together.”

Other speakers included former state representative Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, Lennon Philo and Chianna Calabrese.

On Friday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order protecting people seeking abortions from potential penalties in wake of the court’s overturning of Roe.

According to Associated Press reports, the order formalizes instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of people to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.

The order also instructs government agencies to educate medical providers and insurers about requirements related to sharing privileged patient information with authorities in an effort to protect those who seek or obtain abortion services.

jim.sabataso @rutlandherald.com

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