Three years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court came out with the Dobbs decision, ruling that abortion is not a constitutional right.
Now, activists across Massachusetts are planning to mark the anniversary with a series of demonstrations in support of reproductive rights.
One protest will be on Martha's Vineyard, and Jan Buhrman of Indivisible Martha's Vineyard is one of the organizers.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke with Buhrman about what this protest means and what we can expect.
Gilda Geist What is this protest going to be about?
Jan Buhrman Well, our group came up with a name for it that I think says it all. And the name we came up with is “Our Bodies, Our Power, Our Future.” So on the 28th and the 29th, there's going to be this call to action and rally from over 20 towns across the Commonwealth. And the action coincides with the third anniversary of the Dobbs decision to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, returning the power to regulate or ban abortions to individual states. Our intention is that our guest speakers will inform our participants and hopefully arm them with actions.
GG What is the "why" behind this protest? Why now?
JB Come on, there's never been a time like now! Following the Dobbs decision, many states moved to enact abortion bans or restrictions impacting access to care for millions of people and here in Massachusetts, we have our governor, Maura Healey, and her team, who have been working tirelessly protecting and strengthening abortion access and ensuring safe operations of reproductive health care, and also ensuring clinics can operate safely. They also worked really hard in passing the Shield Law, an act expanding protections for reproductive and gender affirming care. It basically shields providers from out-of-state investigations and professional repercussions. Massachusetts has taken steps to protect access to medication abortions, including stockpiling abortion pills. We need to stay informed. We need to pay attention to those who are working to ensure women's safety.
GG Walk me through what the day of the protest itself is supposed to look like.
JB We're going to start at 11 o'clock and we're going to start at Five Corners on Martha's Vineyard. It's the start of the 4th of July week. Five Corners is where the ferries come and go, and we'll be there for at least one boat arriving and probably several freight boats. It's a busy intersection. It's central location. I'm sure there'll be a lot of people out and about. And at 11.30, we have activist Lori David. She will speak and she will introduce our Cape and Islands District Attorney, Rob Galibois. Everybody needs to know that he's our district attorney. He has and continues to publicly state his position in support of women's reproductive rights. When he was elected, he made a pledge that if a national abortion ban was passed, as district attorney, he would never prosecute someone for seeking or getting an abortion or allow healthcare providers to be prosecuted. And truly if all of our representatives stood up like he does, it would just be a phenomenal place. Rob's a beacon for what we want in our leaders and really for our other district attorneys. I can say in Massachusetts, we don't have other district attorneys that would take a pledge like that.
GG What do you hope people will get out of this protest? People who participate, people just passing by who see it — what do you want them to take away?
JB Protests are about raising awareness and they open conversations and I think they're pretty powerful. This protest advocates for safe and legal abortions as well as broader reproductive healthcare. And I think that just having that conversation is incredibly powerful. And I guess maybe I need to reiterate that protesting is crucial in these times. Some days that's all we have with this administration. You know, these protests highlight injustice. They raise public awareness. They bring solidarity. They pressure our policy makers and our institutions to really address these inequalities. The lesson is that women's rights and human rights — they're the same. I get a lot of inspiration out of these protests and I hope that others do too.
The Indivisible Mass Coalition is overseeing the state-wide effort to demonstrate in support of reproductive health care, Buhrman said. Activists have planned more than 20 protests Saturday, including in Bourne, Falmouth, Hyannis and Orleans, and on Nantucket.
