Protesters gathered on the lawn of the Yellowstone County Courthouse opposing the Supreme Court’s unprecedented reversal of its own ruling on Roe v. Wade, the afternoon of Mother’s Day, May 8, 2022. (Photo by Michael Marino)
Protesters gathered on the lawn of the Yellowstone County Courthouse this Mother’s Day to oppose the Supreme Court’s drafted reversal of Roe v. Wade, a historic case that gave women the right to an abortion and other reproductive rights in 1973.
“I don’t understand how, in this time, we could be going backward,” said Jenika Kaiser, one of the event’s organizers. Kaiser further stated that she never thought she would see the Court switch up on an issue such as bodily autonomy.
The leaked draft, written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, states in part: “We hold that Roe… must be overruled.”
In its entirety, the Court’s opinion is 98 pages. Within the document, it is stated by the Court that abortions are not protected by the Constitution, not even under the Due Process clause. Alito wrote that in order to invoke Due Process, the right must be “deeply rooted in the Nation’s history or tradition…” or “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed on May 3 that the leaked document was, in fact, authentic and truly circulated the building in February this year. However, this does not mean that the statements made in the opinion are the Court’s final decision, Roberts mentioned.
Protesters in Billings said they are skeptical, and they believe the Justices may simply be backpedaling in light of the unexpected exposure.
As Jenika Kaiser stated, “Someone risked their whole life to leak that [document],” and from Kaiser’s perspective, nobody would do such a thing if the stakes were not high.
Kaylen Alexander, the protest’s organizer, said she was happy with the turnout considering the event was a bit “last-minute,” and also, “on Mother’s Day.”
The Mother’s Day protest in Billings was not unique in that there were similar rallies in major cities across the United States and Montana, said Charlene Sleeper of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Sleeper stated that Kalispell, Great Falls, Bozeman, Whitefish and Missoula held protests as well as the Magic City.
