Oklahoma march for women
By
OKLAHOMA CITY--More than 600 people traveled to the Oklahoma state capital on February 28 to show their opposition to proposed legislation that would grant "personhood" to fertilized eggs as early as conception.
The crowd was diverse, and the spirit was militant and angry. The opening speaker, Lauren Zuniga, recited a rendition of her poem "To the Oklahoma Lawmakers."
Protesters, who traveled from all over the state, gathered on the Capitol steps to voice their anger at the bill, tell their stories and vow to fight. Everyone had a story. Several speakers spoke of their experiences with abortion.
A woman who was raped when she was 17 and decided to terminate her pregnancy spoke. So did a clinic worker who had to tend to a battered 14-year-old victim of a gang rape. If this bill passes, what would happen if that girl became pregnant? Would she be forced to carry her pregnancy to term?
Another woman told her story about being raped, but choosing to bring her pregnancy to term. Her story made it clear--it was still her choice, and if she wanted to terminate, she should be allowed to. The stories were often heart-wrenching and at times difficult to hear, but all made the point that this is a woman's choice and hers alone.
The crowd was large enough that several legislators came out to see us, and a few even spoke. A woman Republican legislator made an on-the-spot party affiliation change.
The crowd was diverse in every sense--young and old, white, Black, Hispanic and Asian, from button-up and conservative in dress to punk rockers and everything in between. It was far from the "fringe rally" that some in the local media reported.
A recent success in Mississippi, where voters rejected a "personhood" initiative, has Oklahomans confident that we can defeat this bill. The pro-choice movement here has long been either dormant or unwilling to organize to protest the anti-choice crowds, but this rally may be the beginning of a real resurgence for choice.
