‘My body, my choice’: Lubbock activists protest abortion ruling after Roe v Wade overturned

“My body, my choice,” reproductive rights activists repeated, among other chants, during an hours-long protest on July 4th in Lubbock.

Throughout the Monday protest, hundreds gathered at the Tim Cole Memorial statue located in the southwest corner of 19th Street and University Avenue with handmade signs and statement clothing.

A man, wearing a dress and heels, protested with his wife and three elementary-aged daughters, who dressed as princesses and held signs of their own.

As vehicles drove by, many honked and raised their fists outside their windows in support of the protestors; some held pro-choice signs of their own outside the car; and some sped off quickly, as they presented protestors with hostile finger gestures.

The protest came 10 days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which ruled that the Constitution generally protects the right to choose to have an abortion. The decision was in place for nearly half a century.

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Since the June 24 ruling, the Supreme Court has faced widespread backlash for its decision, although many have also spoken in favor.

“This was a monumental decision to overturn 50 years of a bad ruling – an unconstitutional ruling,” U.S. Rep. Jody Arrington, R-Lubbock, said in a statement. “And I think (it’s) a great day for our country when you have justices that aren’t trying to legislate, but they’re trying to apply the original language and intent of the constitution to a question … in this case abortion.”

‘We didn’t start the fire’

Recent graduates Jazmyn Rojo and Calla Canale, both 18, said they wanted to spend their holiday doing something meaningful.

The two held coinciding signs, which read “Hey NRA, how many kids have (yo)u killed (two)day?” and “You are not pro-life!” with a handprint, painted in red to resemble blood.

“I think with the political climate right now, it's hard for a lot of people to find patriotism and wanting to celebrate Independence Day,” Canale said. “Ever since 2020 (when George Floyd died), just for me, I've had a lot more reason to pay attention to the media and what happens. I'm a woman, and I identify as a woman. So, I'm here for my rights and the rights of all the other people who identify as women.”

For both Rojo and Canale, this was their first protest to attend since the Supreme Court ruling, although Canale said she protested during the draft.

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“We didn’t start the fire,” Canale said. “Everyone always says that. But it’s never gonna stop, so the most we can do is show up and use our voice.”

Mother and grandmother Christy Renee, 41, stood near the front of the protest with a large balloon in the shape of a clothes hanger, nearly the size of her body. A wreath of flowers was attached to the center with a sign that read, “Never again.” Attached to the bottom was a sign Trevino wrote, which stated “pro-choice is pro-life.”

“Honestly, I am pro-life. I’m pro-life, because of their lives,” Renee said, as she gestured to the crowd. “I have daughters and granddaughters that won’t get to grow up the way that I grew up – with the freedoms that I have – and I need to fight for that.

“That’s why I’m here, because I am pro-life.”

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