Hundreds rallied and marched in uptown Charlotte on Saturday for reproductive rights
Protesters in Charlotte joined demonstrations nationwide on Saturday rallying against restrictive anti-abortion laws in Texas and advocating for reproductive rights.
About 400 residents gathered in First Ward Park for the uptown Charlotte rally and march.
“Abortion, it’s a personal choice,” said Maria Garcia-Castillo, a 19-year-old Queens University of Charlotte sophomore. “It’s a hard choice, and we shouldn’t be putting obstacles in front of it.”
Garcia-Castillo is co-president of her school’s chapter of Health Care Justice — NC, which advocates for universal healthcare and healthcare access.
She attended the protest with her roommate, Nu’bia Garner.
“I’m pro choice. I believe we should have a choice and (access to) safe and legal abortions,” Garner said. “Even if you ban abortions, it’s still going to happen. I don’t want to see people dying because of stuff like this.”
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Garcia-Castillo also noted how restrictions on reproductive healthcare would disproportionately affect the poor.
The Texas law, which passed in May and went into effect last month, prohibits abortions after a fetal “heartbeat” is detected — as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
The law allows private citizens, no matter where they live, to sue abortion providers and others in Texas who assist someone in getting an abortion after that point, regardless of whether they have a personal connection to the situation.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law. The court will hear oral arguments for another major abortion case in December.
Concern over the Texas law also drew Concord resident Stormie Juenger to the Charlotte rally — her first pro-choice protest.
“I view myself as more of a moderate,” she said. But the new anti-abortion law in Texas spurred her to action.
“It pisses me off,” Juenger said. “... Women aren’t allowed to make their own choices when it comes to reproductive rights, but at the same time we’re supposed to be able to raise a child?”
Laurie Foster, 57, also went to Saturday’s march alone. She has three grandchildren with a fourth on the way.
“How can I look my granddaughter in the eye and say, ‘On my watch, this was OK?’’ Foster asked.
Longtime Charlotte resident Elaine Cohoon Miller helped lead the crowd Saturday as they marched through uptown.
“I’m 68 years old,” she said. “I thought we solved this in the ’60s. What is going on?”
She showed up Saturday, she said, because “we have daughters and friends and nieces who need us to be here. I’m not worried about it (for me) anymore, I’m worried about it for them. It is a healthcare issue that should be handled by (a) woman and her doctor, nobody else.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 4:28 PM.