Illinois governor, other Democrats rally abortion rights supporters in the metro-east
Robyne O’Mara is old enough to remember when abortion was illegal in the 1960s and early ‘70s.
“Classmates who got pregnant had no choices,” she said Wednesday at a pro-choice rally in East St. Louis. “They were children having children. Their lives were changed forever. They were not able to complete their educations. They were forced into poverty.”
O’Mara, 66, of Godfrey, was one of about 40 people who showed up at the Ironworkers Local 396 office to cheer on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats who support abortion rights.
Several speakers warned of a looming threat of an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion in 1973. That decision is being applauded by pro-life advocates who consider abortion murder.
Illinois Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, noted that more than 25 states already have laws restricting abortion rights. He encouraged people to make sure Illinois continues to protect them.
“Rally around the causes that are near and dear to you and vote,” he said.
Three years ago, the Illinois General Assembly passed and Pritzker signed the Illinois Reproductive Health Act, which makes decisions about reproductive health a fundamental right.
“We support women in Illinois,” said state Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis.
Belt alleged that there is a “menacing plot” by some people to turn back the clock on personal rights, not only those associated with abortion but also contraceptives, interracial marriage and civil unions.
Pritzker’s office organized Wednesday’s rally a month before the primary election on June 28, when Democrat and Republican voters will pick their nominees for the Nov. 8 general election.
All Republican candidates for statewide office oppose abortion rights, and some don’t believe in exceptions for rape or incest, according to the governor.
“Decades of right-wing extremism have finally placed us on the edge of the post-Roe reality that we have feared,” he said. “Countless states and Republican-controlled legislatures are failing their residents, criminalizing reproductive health care and putting millions of women at risk.”
Other speakers at the rally included Dr. Colleen McNicholas, an abortion provider and chief medical officer with the Advocates of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri.
McNicholas described “egregious, unscientific and harmful” restrictions on abortion in Missouri, which has only one provider, Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, where she works.
The state also has a “trigger law” that would ban abortion in most cases if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
“The consequence of outlawing this critical care will fall largely on the most marginalized communities and most profoundly on those who hold identities that intersect multiple oppressions — Black, Latino and indigenous communities, people with low incomes, LGBTQ folks, immigrants and people living in rural areas,” she said.
Speaker Amanda Depew, a U.S. Air Force veteran, focused on the difficulties faced by military women seeking abortions under federal law.
Circumstances in Missouri led Cindy McMullan, 62, of Columbia, to attend the rally.
“I was a teenager when abortion became legal, and I can’t believe that we’re going backwards,” she said. “I thought that fight was over. My daughter lives in Missouri, so I’m mainly here for her. If she ever needed an abortion, she could be criminally prosecuted.”
Many people on Wednesday held signs that read, “Bans off our bodies,” “Abortion is health care,” “I stand with Planned Parenthood” and “Protect safe, legal abortion.”
There were no anti-abortion protesters.
“I’m here because abortion is at risk across the country, and thank God we live in Illinois, where women’s rights are being supported and not being taken away,” said O’Mara, a member of Southwestern Illinois Democratic Women.
“But we have to stand up and support women in other states. They’re at grave risk. Without abortion access, women will die.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Illinois governor, other Democrats rally abortion rights supporters in the metro-east."
