Protesters rally against Roe v. Wade ruling in Youngstown
1/6
Amid the peppering of car horns on a Friday night in downtown Youngstown came a simple mantra for a most complicated issue.
"My body, my choice!" chanted the crowd of more than 100 gathered on Federal Plaza.
"This should be a decision between people and their physicians," said one of them, Lauren Mathews of Warren.
They joined together protesting the US Supreme court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
For Mathews, the ruling was personal.
"I've also had an abortion in my life, and I think if you ask the people in your life and they're comfortable and want to tell you, they'll tell you if they've had an abortion or not," she said.
Other women at the rally described the grave realities of their pregnancies.
"If I didn't have a choice of a safe abortion, my baby would've been born with HIV also," said one them.
The protest wrapped up just before 6:00, but dozens of folks stayed on long after, speaking to the deeply personal nature of this issue.
"Using their body as a vessel that they have no control over to incubate a life they don't want...I'm sorry, that's pretty sick," said Jonathan Blackshire.
Others we talked to feared Friday's decision would endanger more civil and human rights, including contraception and same-sex marriage.
"This court has set aside a 50 year precedent," said attorney Matt Mangino, an expert in constitutional law. He believes that possibility is very real, and that the ruling shows a blatant contradiction by the nation's High Court.
"The gun decision out of New York where the Supreme Court said states can't enact legislation that would impact the Second Amendment...then the next day, the Supreme Court says the decision with regard to privacy and abortion should be left up to the states," Mangino said.
While some experts believe this ruling won't be the last word on abortion rights in America, only time will tell.
For the foreseeable future, the crowd who rallied in downtown Youngstown Friday will continue with their simple mantra for a most complicated issue.
REPORTER'S NOTE: We made it a point to look for counter-protesters before and after the rally, but did not encounter any.
