By Sahar Chmais
“As an Iraqi freedom veteran, as someone who defended our freedom for this country, to have our government slowly take away those freedoms is insulting and plain out scary,” said Melanie Molien, Hays County resident who attended the Women’s March rally. “We have fought too long for equality. A woman’s life matters.”
Molien was one of the thousands who joined the rally fighting against SB 8, dubbed the “heartbeat bill,” at the Texas Capitol on the hot Saturday morning. SB 8 bans abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which is generally around six weeks of pregnancy. Oftentimes women do not know they are pregnant at that stage.
Like many other protestors and politicians fighting SB 8, Molien believes banning abortions will only lead to unsafe abortions.
Across the nation, thousands gathered at Women’s March rallies to fight the Texas bill that took effect Sept. 1, which allows anyone in the U.S. to sue a person who aids an abortion in Texas for $10,000.
Several people got on stage and openly discussed defying SB 8 and how they will continue to defy the bill to help women make the choice.
Not everyone at the rally held these beliefs. One man walked around the rally, carrying a Bible and stating his disapproval of abortions.
Another group, Students for Life of America, had 35 protestors standing among the Texas Capitol rally and 600 signed up to attend rallies across the country. They held “pro-life” signs, dispersed among people who were “pro-choice.” Several arguments broke out between the two crowds.
“We want to show women we’re standing with them,” Said Sarah Zarr, regional manager with Students for Life of America. “They don’t need an abortion to be successful; a woman can have her baby and her dreams and education and goals without ending the life of a human being.”
Zarr’s ideology makes no exceptions for rape victims.
“That human being that resulted from sexual assault isn’t any less valuable,” Zarr said. “Just like the woman didn’t have a choice in [the rape], that pre-born child also didn’t choose to be in that circumstance. She should have a choice of whether she wants to parent that child, or place it for adoption.”
Those advocating for abortion rights at the rally had a variety of reasons to protest. Some held signs that said even if they do not personally want an abortion, it should still be a choice.
Others held signs stating “abortion rights are healthcare rights.”
As State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) testified in front of the state House of Representatives in May, sometimes making the decision for abortion is about protecting the health of the mother and family.
“Everyone’s abortion story is different,” Zwiener said. “Every one of us in this room has a different standard for what we believe constitutes a moral and ethical abortion. Instead of trusting women to know their own circumstances, their families and values, the bill makes the government the final arbiter of individual and intimate morality.”
Zwiener attended the rally with her daughter, and many parents among the crowd brought their children.
Coming to the protests is just one of the first steps, said Kelly Stone, a San Marcos resident and mother of two. Stone has had an abortion due to health reasons.
“I’ve been coming to these marches, but unfortunately it’s starting to seem routine,” Stone told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. “Yes, we have to rally, but we have to take [politicians who oppose reproductive rights] out of office to change the policies … We have to vote them out and vote in people who are advocating for our interests and who truly represent the people.”
Photos from the Women's March rally from Saturday, Oct.2, by Sahar Chmais.
