On Monday, Fort Thomas residents took to the streets to protest the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The march was short and orderly circling through the city’s Central Business District.
As organizers had planned, it was “silent” but visible with most participants wearing pink and carrying signs.
When a leaked draft of the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe versus Wade surfaced just short of a month ago, the National Women’s March put out a call to gather abortion rights supporters in protest. A decision came down earlier than expected, but people had been preparing.
“We wanted to raise awareness and to show that even in small communities that some consider fairly conservative, this is a decision that affects people strongly, and there are many many people in our communities who are concerned about it,” said Nancy Geis Bardgett, one of the organizers. “We really just wanted to make a visual impression to show that we support women’s bodily autonomy and are going to continue to work toward that goal — and to show we’re not giving up.”
Bardgett was actually out of town when the decision came down, so she’s been helping from afar. A teacher educator with the University of the Cumberlands and a former Highlands High School teacher, she is an experienced organizer. In fact, she challenged Kentucky Rep. Joe Fischer in 2020.
Julie Carter was the on-the-ground organizer for the event.
“Fort Thomas is known as a predominantly Republican stronghold, but I strongly believe being pro-choice doesn’t mean pro-abortion,” she said. “I know there are more women in Fort Thomas who believe that women should have a choice, and if they know there are many women out there who feel the same way they do, they might express it more.”
Carter said she is concerned how Kentucky’s trigger law will affect all women, but especially poor women, women of color and younger women. Passed in 2019, Kentucky’s law has a narrow exception that permits abortions in cases where a mother’s life is threatened but does not allow women to seek abortions in cases of rape or incest.
‘Here we are, back again’
March participants ranged in age from 18 to over 70. Women from the older generation said they remembered what it was like before the passage of Roe v. Wade.
“I graduated from college in 1973,” said Karen Truman. “I feel like a lot of young women have grown up taking this for granted, yet here we are, back again.”
She said when she was in school she was considered very straightlaced but now she is retired, she has more time, and she is angry.
“This is awful,” Truman said. “I didn’t have a child until I was 44 and it was a surprise. I had two miscarriages before that. I didn’t even know I was pregnant the first time and, could they have probably thrown me in jail, who knows? I couldn’t have proven why I’d miscarried. There’s so many ectopic pregnancies and all sorts of things. It’s about healthcare, not abortion.”
Many of the older participants said they didn’t want young people to go through what they had experienced.
“To be honest, when I was 19 I had an abortion, and I want to make sure other people have that same right,” said Laura Taylor. ”I didn’t have a job. I was in college. It really saved my life, and I feel grateful that it was there. It is disturbing that now it’s not going to be there for somebody else.”
Protester Rose Gontjovski said the decision is a slippery slope.
“Obviously I’m not of an age where I have to worry about reproductive care, but they’ve signaled they are coming after everything,” she said. “What I would like to see happen is all these different groups – women’s groups, education groups. Black Lives Matter, everybody get together as one. There’s strength in numbers.”
Her friend Linda Nesbitt agreed. Collaboration is key, she said, and so is voting.
“Rallies and protests give voice to people and send a message to the community and to elected officials,” Nesbitt said. “But I also want people to know that, as impactful these organized things are, the sure way to make change is at the ballot box. That is the message I want to send.”
Younger people are concerned
Although they grew up with Roe v. Wade in place, young people who marched said they are very aware and worried about how the Court’s decision will affect their futures.
“I’ve never seen such an assault on individual liberties in this country in my life, and I’m terrified,” said Ashley Hinkle. “I’m going to do what I can to support this cause. I also wanted to come out and see if there are any opportunities to meet other people to start organizing on a larger-scale level…There’s a huge need for larger organization, so I’m hoping that we can start pushing for that.”
Her husband, Warren Hinkle, said it was time to stand up.
“We’ve seen things go poorly, rights getting repealed and there has to be a line in the sand where people start doing something,” Hinkle said. “We have to start making our voices heard now.”
Ashley said she worries about starting a family.
“I am somebody who could potentially have kids in future years, and this makes me think I don’t think I want to,” she said. “I don’t feel I’m a place that prioritizes my health. So even for people in committed relationships, in families, it is an issue.”
Getting out the vote
When asked what’s next for the movement, many said keeping up the pressure and taking it to the ballot box this November and beyond is their priority. State Rep. Rachel Roberts joined the march, as did Kelly Jones, who is running as a Democrat in the 68th district. She said those making the decisions often do not come from backgrounds that expose them to the needs and struggles of their constituents.
“I think that it’s a very complicated issue…I think it affects Kentuckians in ways that we don’t talk about when talk about this issue,” Jones said. “When the decision came down, I thought first and foremost about the women who have had miscarriages, like many of my friends. I thought about women going through IVF like many of my friends have. Those two things will be affected. There’s going to be a vote this fall on a Constitutional amendment that will not include exemptions for rape or incest.”
A nurse’s perspective
Nisia Thornton is a nurse at UC Health.
“I’m an educator and an advocate for people, especially people who don’t have easy access to healthcare,” Thornton said. “The Code of Ethics for nurses has 15 provisions. The very first one says ‘The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and unique attributes of every person.’ As a person and as a nurse, that’s my guiding principal.”
Her handmade sign featured a long list of things that affect the health and well being of her patients. Things, she said, are not addressed and will get worse as a result the Supreme Court’s decision.
“I am here because I look at the tremendous gap between the people who have the money and the influence to get whatever they want and the people who cannot even get what we would call the basic needs of life,” she said.
Making voices heard
Organizers and participants said as the summer continues, people can expect more protests and similar actions.
The focus has to be on the state now, said Carter. She said more protests are needed and more people should get out the vote and run for local office. “It’s not glamorous. It’s hard work. It costs you money yourself… but we have to elect more people who will stand up for reproductive rights for women, and we need to have some frank conversations with each other as women.”
The answer is to make your voice heard, she said. “We’ve been a silent majority for a long time, but we can’t be silent any more.”