BALDWINSVILLE — After the Supreme Court ruled in June that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a right to have an abortion, a group of friends in Baldwinsville decided they needed to act. They have formed a coalition called the CNY Rally for Women’s Rights and are planning a series of peaceful pro-choice rallies in the village of Baldwinsville. The first rally is Saturday, Sept. 10.
“We want to do what we can as Central New Yorkers to keep reproductive freedoms top of mind and to get out the vote. We hope people from across the region will join us,” said MaryAnne Williams, one of the organizers.
Another CNY Rally member, Donna Freyleue, said the group’s creation stemmed from a recent informal rally planned among Facebook friends. The protesters received a largely positive response.
“We were standing on each of the Four Corners holding signs, waving at passing vehicles,” she said. “We got a lot of thumbs up, honks, encouraging shouts. We got a few middle fingers.”
Freyleue said she and the CNY Rally group are prepared to deal with pushback.
“We’re ready for it. We’re strong women and we’re not afraid — we can’t be afraid,” she said. “We simply are not going to be intimidated into silence.”
While New York State expanded abortion rights in 2019 with the Reproductive Health Act, Freyleue said reproductive rights are at stake at the federal level.
“We’re New Yorkers, so it’s easy to assume our rights are safe here,” said Donna Freyleue, another of the organizers. “But the Republicans are talking about a national ban and a personhood amendment, and Lord knows what the Supreme Court will do. Cases will be winding their way way through the courts.”
In an Aug. 2 referendum, Kansas voters turned down a proposed amendment to their state constitution that would have said Kansans do not have a guaranteed right to abortion.
“Kansas was incredibly encouraging for us,” Freyleue said.
According to nonprofit news outlet Kansas Reflector, ballot initiatives in Vermont, California and Kentucky will pose similar questions to voters this fall.
Protecting reproductive rights, including abortion access, is at the forefront of the November election even in “blue” states like California and New York, Freyleue said.
“There is going to be a wave in November but it’s not going to be a red wave. It’s going to be a wave led by women and others to protect everybody’s rights,” she said. “We’re not going to be apologetic. We’re not going to be mealy-mouthed about it. We’re going to be crystal clear.”
The CNY Rally for Women’s rights will meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Triquetra Books and More, 12 Oswego St., Suite 201 in Baldwinsville.
Attendees are encouraged to wear pink (in honor of women’s rights) and/or green (the color of the pro-choice movement) and peacefully hold protest signs near the Four Corners from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, visit facebook.com/cnyrallyforwomen.
