Over 30 San Benito County abortion-rights advocates gathered along the sidewalk outside the San Benito County Superior Court at 450 Fourth Street in Hollister on May 14.
The rally, which began at 11 a.m. and lasted approximately two hours, was in protest of the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court. This possible decision prompted Planned Parenthood to initiate the “Bans Off Our Bodies” rallies that occurred nationwide on May 14.
Co-administrator of the Facebook group “95023” and Hollister resident Cathy Booth Vaughan, organized the local event, and invited the group’s members and local community to attend. She said the online community forum has a “very engaged population [of members] who are very passionate about local and national politics.”
And that passion was evident in those who were present at the event.
Women and men were in attendance, holding signs with messages such as “we need to talk about the elephant in the womb,” and holding clothes hangers—signifying the health risk women were subject to self-abortions prior to the Roe v. Wade. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade case in 1973 legalized the procedure across the United States.
Booth Vaughan said her passion for being an advocate of abortion rights stems from a childhood trauma. “My step-dad raped my older sister for years,” she said. “He also trafficked her to other men for sex.” Ultimately, Booth Vaughan said her sister became pregnant by her step-dad at the age of 14, which led her sister to run away from home.
She said her sister, now more than 40 years later, has severe mental health issues and is a drug-addict stemming from her traumatic experience.
“That is why I am so passionate about women’s reproductive rights,” Booth Vaughan said.
Elizabeth Zepeda Gonzalez, San Benito County Board of Supervisors District 1 candidate, attended the rally and said it was unfortunate that “several years from when Roe v. Wade passed, now we’re here at this hurdle again.”
“It’s just a basic human right that we all have access to,” she said. “We need our leaders—whether it is locally in our county or the state— to understand that this is something that [abortion rights advocates] really care about. We should all have the ability to make our own choices and not allow legislators to make those choices for us as a community.”
Aromas resident Wayne Norton was also in attendance, and said he was there because he believes “it is essential to protect reproductive rights for women,” and was also thinking about the rights of his granddaughters.
“I’m scared of what’s next,” Norton said, who is a member of the San Benito County Central Democratic Committee and Anzar Democratic Club. “Right-wing Republicans won’t stop here. LGBTQ rights and freedom to marry who you choose will be their next targets.”
While at the protest, BenitoLink witnessed honks of support for the protest every couple of minutes by passersby.
The peaceful protest was not countered by any community members.
Zepeda Gonzalez added that one person walking by stopped and told protesters that while they, personally, were anti-abortion, they were “pro-choice for others.”
She said the person walking by told them, “Regardless of what your beliefs are, everyone should have a choice of what they want to do.”
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