Hundreds of people were taking part Friday in the “Rise Up For Our Rights” march in downtown Bend. Protesters were marching for reproductive rights, transgender rights and gay marriage.
“We are out here today to protest in favor of abortion right and in favor of health care access,” said event organizer Jace Bracelin.
The march started at 4 p.m. at Harmon Park and headed toward the Deschutes County Courthouse.
“This is like a protest for human rights specifically with Roe vs Wade being overturned and personally I just believe in fundamental human rights and I feel like I should have, like reproductive freedom,” said protest attendee Kylie Myers.
The group listened to several different speakers including Bend-La Pine School Board Member Janet Sarai Llerandi Gonzalez.
“So I am not here to bring you a message on unity and solidarity,” Gonzalez said. “I am telling you to go to the streets and Fu** Sh** Up!”
Abortion rights were not the only thing the protestors were in support of.
“That precedent not being there anymore sets up a lot of other cases to be repealed or altered, which could significantly impact people ability to people having gay sex, getting gay marriages, getting contraception’s and of course what we are hear today for, getting abortions,” Bracelin said.
The march comes one week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, leaving it to states to decide their abortion laws.
“I hope that we raise attention to our government so they actually act to provide fundamental rights that they took away,” said Myers.
Some 26 states are expected to have some level of abortion restrictions. Oregon is not one of them.
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