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JAMESTOWN – Political participation could be on the rise in Jamestown following Roe V. Wade’s overturning last week, with some locals vowing to take action at the ballot box.
We heard from protestors at a rally over the weekend, with many fearful of what’s to come if they don’t step up to make their voices heard.
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, removing the precedent that protected abortions at the federal level, in turn, has caused an uproar in the Jamestown community.
“We have 30 plus people here in three hours,“ stated Justin Hubbard with the Jamestown Justice Coalition. “Every single district has a graduation going on today, and I had 50 people tell me they couldn’t come because they had a graduation. So this is absolutely just the surface level of the amount of people we could gather.”
“We all knew it was coming,“ explained Danica Olson. “We’ve known for months now that it was coming but, I think the first thing is just fear of what is coming next.”
Going forward, many are fearful that more rulings could be on the chopping block.
Decisions like Griswold V. Connecticut, Lawrence V. Texas, and Obergefell V. Hodges. Which focus on marital privacy with contraception, same-sex relationships and gay marraige rights, respectively.
“Write your local, state, national, federal politicians,“ stated Olson. “Urge them to expand the court or to “Abort the Court”. President Biden has the ability to write an executive order decriminalizing abortion assistance.”
Another way that one can take action is to participate in elections. Tuesday, New Yorkers will take to the polls for the Gubernatorial Primary.
“When we vote, and when we act, and when we pick people that are going to run for office, pick people who are willing to fight and who are willing to dismantle an unjust system,” said Hubbard. “That’s what we have to do.”
Some in Jamestown believe taking action, even goes beyond protesting itself.
“We need hands, because the people that have been fighting this for a long time are tired, so we’re all tired, but we are the majority.“ explained Olson. “All oppression is connected, and if we all unite our causes, we can change the country.”
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