'Woke up in 1952:' Abortion-rights protesters rally in downtown Springfield

Retired attorney Kathy Muckala didn’t expect that Roe v. Wade would be overturned in her lifetime.

“I worked at the state legislature and worked on abortion laws and stuff, but I always thought Roe v. Wade would stand,” Muckala said. "Even after we got that draft, I figured, oh, someone is going to change it and they’ll just do the Mississippi law, not make that second decision. It was just unbelievable.”

Muckala was one of about 500 people who rallied in Park Central Square and marched to the federal courthouse on Friday evening, in protest of the Supreme Court of the United States' decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, and Missouri's subsequent trigger law that banned abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

The rally was organized by the Springfield Party for Socialism and Liberation, though advocates from Planned Parenthood and NAACP were also present. All urged those gathered to keep fighting, despite the despair.

“We went to bed in 2022, but woke up in 1952,” said attendee Olivia Buchard.

For many, abortion was a life-changing and life-saving procedure, and chants of “Abortion is health care” continued throughout the evening.

“I needed this right when I was 17 years old. My birth control failed me. I needed this right. I would not be this far without my abortion. I would not be as far as I am now if I had a kid as a teenager,” said Jerrica Collins, who attended with her middle-school-age daughter. Because of her abortion, she was able to attend college.

‘Fatal consequences’

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations, something that advocates say will only continue to climb with abortion banned.

“Forcing women to carry pregnancies to term will only exacerbate the maternal mortality crisis that already exists in our country. In a country where Black women are three to four times more likely to experience pregnancy-related death than a white woman, the court’s decision will have fatal consequences,” said PSL organizer Lucy Mayfield. “By denying women and oppressed genders access to abortion, the Supreme Court has taken direct aim at health, economic independence and the very lives of poor and working-class women.”

For subscribers: Abortion bans could be riskiest on women in maternal health care 'deserts'

Maternal mortality, combined with the lack of continuing support for mothers and children, made it clear to attendee the Rev. Emily Bowen-Marler that overturning Roe v. Wade was not about abortion, but “100% about controlling people’s bodies.”

“We’re not caring about the mothers. We’re not caring about the children after they’re born. If people want to reduce abortions, they need to do something about poverty in this country,” Bowen-Marler said. “They need to do something about universal health care in this country, they need to do something about comprehensive sex education, access to contraception. There are so many things that need to be done that actually will decrease the number of abortions.”

In her speech, Kai Sutton of the NAACP Springfield chapter, noted that abortion bans are also an economic issue that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

“It is an economic issue because it is about accessibility. It affects lower income communities and under-represented communities as well,” Sutton said. “Anyone with a uterus should have ultimate autonomy and decide if they want to bear children and when.”

Other rights at stake

Abortion and privacy weren’t the only issues discussed.

Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion calling for a re-examination of other Supreme Court precedents having to do with birth control, same-sex marriage and sex outside of marriage, solidified concerns that abortion was just the first domino.

“This what we and many others have been warning about: The reactionary right in this country will not stop until they have undone all of the social progress of the last 100 years including basic rights for LGBTQ individuals,” said PSL organizer Seth Goodwin.

Allison Gann attended the rally with their girlfriend, and worries about the impact if the proposal comes to fruition.

“I won't get to marry my girlfriend. I won't get IVF or anything. Like, we won't be able to have a kid,” Gann said. “Like, the court overturned everything ... It's not just gay marriage, it's the IVF, it's been adoption, foster care, everything is taken as soon as that.”

The lack of provisions for people with disabilities was also concerning to one attendee, who used a wheelchair to navigate the hilly streets of downtown Springfield.

“There are no clauses in any of these laws that take care of disabled people or take any of our feelings into consideration,” said Caden, who declined to give their last name. “And you can plainly see that in the way they treat children and rape victims and victims of incest, often times, they don’t even care about those people. So how are they supposed to care about my needs when they pretend we don’t even exist?”

‘Is this what democracy is supposed to look like?’

Speakers and attendees expressed anger at the Supreme Court’s decision, especially those with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

“We are gathered here once again because six unelected, unaccountable, lifetime-appointed judges defied the overwhelming will of the people and struck millions of their fundamental right to abortion, privacy in health care and general bodily autonomy,” Goodwin said. “What legitimate right do those reactionary, Christo-fascists have to dictate what we can and cannot do with our bodies? What right do they have to defy 72% of the population of this country and to be held utterly unaccountable for it? Is this what democracy is supposed to look like?”

More: Missouri bans abortion with 'trigger law' after U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

Goodwin encouraged people to continue marching for a right he said the working class, not the Supreme Court, had secured.

"Any and all concessions the working class have received have not been gifted from on high by the benevolent gods of American democracy," Goodwin said. "Rather, they have been forcibly wrestled from the hands of the ruling class by mass movements of the people."

Even the Democratic Party drew ire from PSL.

“For far too long, the Democratic Party has treated women’s rights as a bargaining chip. We will no longer allow that to happen,” Mayfield said. “The failure of the Democratic majority in Congress to pass the Women’s Health Care Act, which would have enshrined abortion rights into law, highlights that the only way we can win the rights we deserve is through mobilizations.”

‘Stand up; fight back’

While anger and sorrow were present during Friday’s rally and march in downtown Springfield, so was a renewed sense of determination. Led by Mayfield, the group recited a chant about what to do when marginalized groups saw their rights under attack: “Stand up; fight back.”

Southwest Missouri Solidarity Network organizer Harvey Day told attendees not to let the despair stop them.

“This is a day that we all knew that was coming, but that doesn’t dampen the rage and the pain. And while we need to take a moment to grieve for the loss of our human rights, we must not let our despair lead us to inaction,” she said.

Day also called on people to donate to local abortion funds, like the Missouri Abortion Fund, "whose proceeds go directly to getting people the care they need."

More: Abortion is now illegal in Missouri. Where will people have to go to get one?

And Sutton encouraged people to do more than just march.

“We must do more than gathering. Facts. We need to get out here, register to vote, talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors, and grow as a society, right?” Sutton asked the crowd, receiving cheers of affirmation in response. “Run for office, and those who are in office, we’re calling you in. We’re not calling you out, we’re calling you in.”

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Protesters gather in Springfield after Supreme Court abortion decision