Hundreds protest overturning of Roe v. Wade with rally and march in Bellingham
A protest against the overturning of Roe v. Wade followed by an unplanned march started at Bellingham City Hall and continued through the streets of Bellingham on Friday evening.
The June 24 protest was organized by “Bans Off Our Bodies” and Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood. About 1,000 people stood with signs at the steps of City Hall.
“This decision today may tell where we are in America, but it’s not where we are in Washington,” Lindy McCarthy, CEO of Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood, said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
“My heart is broken, but I’m energized and ready to fight back,” she said.
Several members of the crowd voiced their support for abortion rights and their willingness to use protests and voting as a means to achieve it.
“I think there’s a nice little turnout,” McCarthy said. “People are ready to engage, they just want to know how.”
“I felt like I had to do something,” said Chris Paradowski, who was holding one of the free signs being handed out by Planned Parenthood at the protest.
Paradowski voiced his support for the protest and the goal of reversing the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The protest began with three speakers, each discussing Friday’s Supreme Court decision and the impact it will have on people with uteruses and marginalized communities. Chants were led by organizers with microphones from the steps of City Hall.
Jenn Mason, a Bellingham Public Schools board member and owner of WinkWink Boutique, spoke during the protest about the emotions felt during the day.
“You don’t owe anyone your story and you don’t owe anyone your silence,” she said.
Mason acknowledged that those in the crowd may feel negative emotions, but encouraged them to “be soft” to themselves and those around them.
Following the speeches, one member of the crowd announced a march. Protesters began their march on the sidewalk of Grand Ave but were then encouraged by others in the crowd to take to the streets.
The protest walked through the downtown area of Bellingham, stopping briefly at the corner of east Holly Street and Railroad Avenue where the crowd chanted support for abortion rights. The march came to a peaceful close as the protesters returned to City Hall.
Event organizers had peacekeepers on staff to defuse altercations and report suspicious activity, but none was reported according to peacekeeping staff. Additionally, there were no counter-protesters seen at the event.
“Bans Off Our Bodies” was one of many protests in Washington and across the nation Friday in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Washington remains a state where abortions are legal. McCarthy said that there will “absolutely” be an influx of patients from other states, and said that it is already happening.
This story was originally published June 25, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
