Quinnipiac students protest SCOTUS Roe v. Wade draft opinion

Hannah Mirsky, News Director
May 6, 2022

As the rain came down hard Wednesday morning, chants in opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade was heard from the Arnold Bernhard library and the Piazza.

Students in the demonstration cried out “pro-life, that’s a lie, you don’t care if women die” and “my body, my choice. Their body, their choice,” as they made their way around the Quad.

The protest was held after Politico released a Supreme Court draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito looking to overturn the 1973 case making abortion rights not protected federally, and would be left up to each state.

The demonstration with over 50 people was held after Politico released a Supreme Court draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito looking to overturn the 1973 case making abortion rights not protected federally, and would be left up to each state.

“That is something you see that many of us don’t approve of,” said Genesis Paulino, a second-year sociology student. “We believe that a woman or any person who is able to reproduce should have the right to their own body.”

In the draft opinion, Alito writes, “It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representation.”

As the decision looks to change an almost 50 year federal constitutional protection, this could affect women of color and women who have varying access to healthcare the most.

“If Roe v. Wade was to be overturned, it would not stop abortions. It would just stop safe abortions,” Paulino said. “If it were to happen, a lot of women of color specifically will die and a lot of children will die.”

The protest continued in the Piazza.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 33% of black women and 24% of hispanic women reported a legal abortion in Connecticut in 2019. 37% of white women received a legal abortion.

“It won’t affect all women equally,” said Lauren Sardi, the director of the women and gender studies program. “Women who have greater access to economic resources will always be able to get abortions and it’ll still happen regardless, but for women that are poor, women who do not have access to these particular things, more women will die. When there’s inequality somewhere, there’s inequality everywhere.”

If abortion right protection would be left up to the states, students made sure to note that abortions will continue to happen regardless if the procedure is safe or not.

“It’s just making them less safe and less of a choice,” said Lizzy Carpenter, a first-year communications student.

Paulino says whether the decision goes either way, it matters that students everywhere use this opportunity to show that people cannot wait around to see the results that they want.

Many held signs at the protest looking to stop any progression in overturning Roe v. Wade.

“I think whether we were successful or not we gave it our absolute all and I think at the end of the day that is what matters more than sitting around and waiting for people to make the right decisions for other people,” Paulino said.

While larger protests around the country continue, Paulino and Carpenter say it is important for college students to continue using their voice in their community.

“It’s important for young people to be in the mix because it is our future, it is our present,” Paulino said.

“We’re the future,” Carpenter said. “We have a voice. Everyone here wants to show that we’re not going to be silenced.”

The court’s holding to overturn Roe v. Wade will not be finalized for another two months when it is published.