TEXARKANA -- A crowd of more than 60 people gathered Sunday near the downtown federal building to mount a united front against Friday's Supreme Court ruling dismantling federal abortion protections.
The Post-Decision Protest was organized by Pro Choice TXK, the local chapter of Pro Choice with Heart. Pro ChoiceTXK co-founder Ash H. said the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision is more than a women's issue.
"Everyone lost on Friday, all of us," she said to the energetic crowd of women and men, young and old.
The program began with comments from Conner Payne, a co-founder of Pro Choice TXK.
"I'm out here today because what's happening in our country is dystopian," Payne said. "The access to an abortion should not lie in the hands of nine people that will never be able to know every situation where an abortion is needed or wanted."
Payne said the 5-4 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which allowed terminating a pregnancy during the first two trimesters, stems from an "archaic and oppressive mindset."
"Women should not be shamed for wanting to have sex for reasons outside of procreation."
In a pointed statement that drew muffled laughter from the crowd, Payne said the fight against abortion focuses on the wrong gender.
"Women can only get pregnant once for nine months; we cannot say the same thing about men. A man could have sex with nine women every day for nine months and every single one of them could become pregnant."
The crowd let out cheers when Payne stated what motivated overturning the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling regarded as a nod to self-determination.
"This decision undoubtedly was made with a religious bias, a Christian bias," Payne said. "There is a separation of church and state for a reason."
Ash H., who followed Payne, focused on what she sees as the wider implication of the loss of Roe v. Wade.
"We lost rights and freedoms to decide what to do with our own lives and bodies. We lost a personal decision that nobody had the right to take away from us. Now is a terrifying time to be a person with a uterus."
Abortion rights, Ash said, are not just about ending an unwanted pregnancy.
"For many, abortion access is life or death. When the health and life of a pregnant parent are at risk or there's a nonviable pregnancy, abortion is often the only humane choice for the parents. Many parents will suffer because of the Supreme Court decision."
As an example, Ash argued that expectant women could be criminally investigated for terminating a pregnancy in which the fetus was expected to die shortly after birth.
"And probably will be charged with murder, despite your good intention of not letting it suffer during your short life."
However, the full impact of Friday's ruling remains to be seen in Arkansas and Texas.
Arkansas' "trigger" law, which was enacted in 2019, would ban nearly all abortions in the state and takes effect once the attorney general certifies that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. The only exception in that ban is to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he thinks bans should include rape and incest exceptions, but he has not called on the Legislature to add those to either of the bans.
The Arkansas Legislature isn't scheduled to meet until January.
Texas had more than 40 abortion clinics in 2012 before a decade of Republicans chipping away at abortion access began forcing providers to close, according to a recent Associated Press report. Without Roe v. Wade, Texas plans to ban virtually all abortions 30 days after the ruling. Abortions would only be allowed when the patient's life is in danger or if they are at risk of "substantial impairment of a major bodily function."
Many Texas women have already traveled out of state for abortions since the law took effect, but they would likely have to travel much farther now that more states outlaw abortion. Some Republican lawmakers also want to punish companies that help their Texas-based employees get abortions elsewhere, although it's unclear how much support that idea will have when the Legislature returns in 2023.
Attendees for Sunday's demonstration began to gather long before the 9 a.m. start time.
Debra Smith traveled here from just Haughton, La., just outside Shreveport, with a few of her children and their friends. She feels for victims of sexual assault who become pregnant, especially a married woman.
"If a rape victim conceives, now you're going to expect this woman to tote that baby, with this hell for the rest of her life," Smith said.
Smith said girls who lack reproductive knowledge and become pregnant now will be forced to take care of a child when they cannot even care for themselves.
"Is the government going to help raise that kid," asked Smith, who said she understands the pain of losing a child as a survivor of a miscarriage.
Shyanne Christian placed her thoughts on a bold sign: "Men are a part of 100% of unplanned pregnancies. Where are the proposals for forced vasectomies?" She said the overturning of Roe v. Wade is devastating, and is baffled that female Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted to toss the landmark ruling.
"Since I just turned 18 and found out I don't have a choice anymore, it's kind of overwhelming."
A trio from Dallas, who did not want to give their names, said Friday's decision puts rights on a slippery slope.
"First it's this, and then it's everything else. Gay marriage, contraceptives, everything else for that matter, will probably be on the chopping block.
The group said though states now have the decision to make regarding abortion, it is not an issue for the legislators.
"Honestly, it's not a government issue; it's a people issue," they said, citing that it may be difficult for a pregnant woman to find an abortion provider within reasonable distance in another state.
"In order to make it an accessible resource for everyone, it needs to be a federal law."
Will Moore attended the demonstration with his wife and daughter. He said he felt compelled to stand up for rights.
"I feel that just because you disagree with something, your beliefs shouldn't be forced on someone else."
In her concluding comments, Ash admonished the crowd to do more than demonstrate.
"We need everyone to be educated on who there representatives are ... who is for us, who is against us," she said. "You can give a voice to those who are afraid to be here today."
Payne said Pro ChoiceTXK is planning another pro-choice rally for July 4 at the federal building.
"How can we celebrate freedom when half of our populations have less rights than gun?"
Mia Hartley, 18, uses her forehead to display the message “Hope U weren’t looking forward to heaven” during ProChoiceTXK’s Post-Decision Protest on Sunday, June 26, 2022, near the federal building in downtown Texarkana. Between 50 and 70 people demonstrated to voice their disapproval of Friday’s Supreme Court decision to dismantle Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 decision that granted federal abortion rights. “I was thinking about how everyone keeps framing this as a religious question even though this is going to murder so many people. I really hope they don’t think they are good people after this. … These fetuses are not alive the way you think they are. It makes me so disheartened that you would rather kill so many innocent people who are alive and well today for the potential of a baby. It makes me angry and sad.” See Monday's edition of the Gazette for extended coverage. (Staff photo)
Pro-choice advocates who declined to give their names share their message during the Post-Decision Protest on Sunday, June 26, 2022, near the federal building in downtown Texarkana. (Staff photo)