"Rally For Roe" At Brant Point Lighthouse

The only thing louder than the howling winds at Brant Point yesterday were the screams of protest.

Island residents rallied for reproductive rights at the Brant Point Lighthouse on Sunday, sharing words encouragement, anger, fear, and purpose in response to the leaked draft decision of the Supreme Court that would overturn the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling on abortion.

The “Rally for Roe” was organized by island residents Alexandra Giroux and Sage Geddes, who were joined by Rev. Linda Simmons, the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, in sharing remarks with the 50-plus people in attendance on a blustery Sunday, as wind gusts topped 50 mph.

The rally concluded with a group “scream into the Sound” as protesters collectively unleashed their voices in outrage at the prospect of Roe vs. Wade being overturned, as outlined in the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision.

“Since 1973 we have had the privilege of choice - because of the ruling in Roe vs. Wade, and therefore our right to privacy we are able to make a choice to get an abortion,” Giroux said. “Choice is a privilege that we have taken for granted for too long. On this island we are uniquely familiar with the power of privilege - we know that it is privilege when Chad is not concerned about getting pulled over drunk driving because his father is a lawyer. We know that privilege is what will allow Becky to be able to get an abortion no matter what happens in the courts. We know that for some people their rights will never be impacted by the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Accessing abortion has been a challenge for black women, Indigious women and Latinas at a disproportionate rate to their more privileged white counterparts. These women do not truly have the privilege of choice.”

Island residents, including some high school students, held signs and yelled repeatedly “We Will No Go Back.”

“We don’t like to say ‘pro abortion’ I understand,” Giroux added. “The word for a medical procedure has been so deamonized by our society that we can hardly say it. I had an abortion when I was 24, I am not ashamed of it, however I was instructed by people in my life to keep it a secret for years. I am not going to do that anymore because I do not feel ashamed for having exercised my right. And none of the other one in four women in this country who has had an abortion should ever feel ashamed of having exercised their right. This is a right granted to us in the ruling of Roe vs. Wade.”