SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lisa Kennedy traveled Monday from her home in Auburn to attend the California March For Life rally at the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento and demonstrate her unwavering stance against abortion.
Kennedy, 55, was among a few hundred people participating in the rally. She said she would like to see more anti-abortion people to stand up and become visible.
“I’m 100% pro-life, and I know that scientifically that abortion is the intentional killing of life from conception,” Kennedy said. “Whether it’s a wanted or unwanted baby, it’s still a baby. And I believe that wholeheartedly.”
The rally was organized by the California Family Council and held on the west steps of the Capitol, before the participants marched around the building.
Voters in November passed Proposition 1, which enshrines the right to contraception and abortion in the California Constitution. Lawmakers placed the proposition on November’s ballot following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which handed individual states the power to regulate abortion.
A package of bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September had already cemented the state’s status protecting abortion access both for Californians and those coming here from states with harsh anti-abortion laws.
Abortion rights counter-protest
The rally had to compete for the attention of the attendees as a group of counter-protesters stood on the sidewalk along 10th Street, chanting into megaphones and activating loud, wailing sirens to disrupt the March For Life rally.
Larkin Dewyer of Sacramento, who was among the dozen or so activists in the counter-protest, said she’s happy to live in a sanctuary state providing access to abortions for any who need it. But she said there are many across the country who have now lost access to this crucial healthcare.
“If you’re getting rid of abortions — if you’re making them illegal — you’re not getting rid of them. You’re making them unsafe,” Dewyer told The Bee. “We’re gonna see death of women or mother’s mortality rates go up. We’re gonna see back alley abortions like we did before abortion was legal.”
“We don’t call them pro-life. We call them pro-birth. If they were pro-life, they would not be fighting so hard for something so horrible.”
California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said this is the third time they have held the event on the steps of the state capitol building, and it won’t be the last. He said they held the rally there, because the state lawmakers inside the building need to hear their strong stance against abortion.
“There’s two groups of people inside that building,” Keller told the crowd. “There’s people that need to hear your voice, because they’re doing the wrong thing. But just as important, there’s people in there that need to hear your voice because they are doing the right thing.”
California lawmaker voices anti-abortion beliefs
Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, spoke to the rally attendees about his opposition to abortion, telling them that the counter-protest shows their anti-abortion efforts are “effective” and need to continue.
“We’re not going away. We’re growing stronger every day,” Patterson said. “And we will continue to live pro-life everywhere we are, in every set of circumstances. Because we are going to be a witness for life, and there will be saved babies.”
Melissa Melendez, former Republican state senator, said the majority of California lawmakers don’t want to hear what anti-abortion activists have to say about abortion. But she said persistence has paid off, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
“And that’s why they’re here, because Roe v. Wade is no longer. And they’re not happy about it,” Melendez said about the counter-protesters as disruptive siren wailed from 10th Street. “And that is why they’re here to try to drown out your voice, to try to drown out my voice when I was in the Legislature. But you know what, you can’t drown it out.”
Savannah Brantley, 27, of Colfax was at Monday’s rally; her first time attending such an event to demonstrate her stance against abortion. She wasn’t surprised at the size of the crowd, because she believes there are a lot of people in California who “believe in the sanctity of life.”
“I just think it’s really important that if we’re gonna say that we stand up for life,” Brantley said, “that we show our support and show the people who are making the laws in our state that this is something that’s super important to us.”
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