More than 200 people rallied outside of San Jose City Hall on Mother’s Day Sunday in support of Roe v. Wade after a draft majority opinion from the Supreme Court was leaked May 2, according to a May 2 POLITICO article.
Roe v. Wade is the 1973 lawsuit that led to the landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court establishing the constitutional right to abortion.
The 1973 majority opinion found an absolute right to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, according to a May 6 PBS article.
Carmen Fernandez, San Jose State public health freshman, was wearing a jean jacket painted pink on the back with the words “Women support women.” She said she was impressed and shocked by the number of people that showed up in support of Roe v. Wade and women’s rights.
The leaked draft horrified her and she said that posting on social media isn’t going to do as much as protesting, which she said was essential.
“In 2022, I didn’t think we would go back and yet it’s here and it’s something we really need to
fight,” Fernandez said. “We need to fight to let the Supreme Court hear us.”
Freshman Radio, TV and film Hailey Nieto was with Fernandez in helping organize and plan.
“[The leaked draft] makes me more mad than anything because I feel OK here but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight for everyone else who might not have the option,” Nieto said.
She said that overturning Roe v. Wade would kill millions of women and only get rid of safe abortions.
“It was more like we need to do it as soon as possible and it’s kind of good it falls on Mother’s Day because mothers need essential healthcare,” Fernandez said. “People should decide if they want to be [a] mother or not.”
This was Fernandez’s and Nieto’s first time putting together a protest and Mother’s Day was a secondary thought.
Nieto said having the protest on Sunday worked out perfectly as people attended with their moms.
There were multiple signs held by parents including a father who had a sign that read “This republican gets it” on one side and “I’m fighting for my daughter’s rights” on the other.
Connie Hester, a local mother, was in attendance with a couple of friends and her daughter and held a sign that read
“Mothers for daughters having a choice.”
“I want my daughters to have that choice too, even though I really want to be a grandmother” Hester said. “I want it only when they’re ready for it.”
Her kids came to San Jose to visit her for Mother’s Day and after her daughter told her about the event, she encouraged them to go out as “we need to protest and show support for choice.”
“Choosing to be a mother is the most difficult choice and most important choice in your life and you need to be ready for that,” Hester said. “You should never make a woman have a child if she doesn’t want one.
