RAPID CITY, S.D. – Rallies for abortion rights drew hundreds of people Sunday in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
There were about 200 demonstrators at each of the events. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union organized the Sioux Falls rally, and the state chapter of the National Organization for Women organized the Rapid City rally.
Mia Rivera attended in Rapid City and said the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion has her worried about the country.
“I’m out here for my granddaughter and her kids and the future generations,” Rivera said. “It’s sad that we’re still debating what we get to do with our uterus.”
Another attendee in Rapid City, Janet Evans, said she’s angry.
“I’m outraged that the Supreme Court thinks that they can take away a right,” Evans said.
In Sioux Falls, Anna Bottesini said she wants to translate activism into action. She is co-president of Students for Reproductive Rights at the University of South Dakota.
“Whenever there’s a huge protest, they’ll keep up for about a month or two, and then really the support wanes,” Bottesini said. “And it’s not that people don’t care anymore. It’s just, they kind of burn out or they put other things in front of it, like when school comes back. So it’s just really important that we keep up the energy. Otherwise, we can’t make a difference.”
