Photos by Ty O’Neil
Hundreds gathered again in downtown Reno today to advocate for abortion rights. “Bans Off Our Bodies” rallies and marches were held around the country today to protest against a potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, the federal court precedent that legalized abortion in 1973.
It was the third such rally in Reno in the past two weeks.
Numerous women spoke – from local and national political leaders to members of local progressive groups. Representatives from Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and the ACLU of Nevada spoke of how a reduction in abortion rights will disproportionately affect the poor and people of color.
Nnedi Stephens, democratic candidate for the Nevada Senate, said abortion is important issue for Black women.
“We cannot afford to be complacent in the faces of those that would rather that I not exist and would rather that I not have the ability to make decisions for my own body,” she said. “I know as a Black person, when we talk about abortion, it is definitely about the topic of bodily autonomy – ensuring that we are able to make choices for ourselves. But abortion is also a racial justice issue.”
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto blasted the draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.
“We are outraged,” she said. “It is not okay to leave half of this country – women who represent half of this country – as second class citizens. I am outraged that we have a United States Supreme Court that thinks it is okay to ignore precedent, ignore a majority of Nevadans and a majority of this county that respect women’s freedom and rights.”
Speakers noted that Nevada has codified abortion rights in the 1990s, but access to abortions remain limited and, if other states make abortion illegal, it could lead to people coming to the Silver State to get abortions.
