Canadian saultita Kylan Hawke became increasingly concerned about the rights of women and people with wombs in the U.S. regarding access to abortion services, especially after a draft decision by the U.S. Supreme Court leaked to the media in May.
A Sault Ste. The group from Marie, Ontario is planning a demonstration on the St. John’s promenade on Saturday. Marys in support of Michigan residents who could soon lose the right to safe legal abortions if Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court becomes final.
Canadian sault Kylan Hawke has become increasingly concerned about the rights of women and people with wombs in the U.S. regarding access to abortion services, especially after a draft decision by the U.S. Supreme Court leaked to the media in May.
“I was thinking about what was going on in the United States and it bothers me a lot and it’s a feeling of helplessness for me,” Hawke said. “I am passionate about women, I work with women and I have made a career out of it. I myself have been oppressed as a woman and I think being born a woman automatically puts you in a vulnerable population, so when I saw what was going on there and started reading and listening to podcasts I was very speechless.
Hawke decided to create a Facebook group to support those in the United States who may need to seek the procedure or who are concerned about the possible loss of bodily autonomy that would occur if the decision were final and if Michigan decides to ban abortion. .
“As soon as Roe v. Wade is revoked, some states will instantly withdraw that access,” Hawke said. “It will be state by state and since Michigan is an oscillating state, it can go either way.”
In just a few weeks, the Facebook group has gone from having Hawke as a member to hundreds of members.
“I shared it with my friends and they shared it with theirs and from there it came out,” he said.
One of the founding members of the group is Abby Obenchain, who was born in the United States but has lived in Canada for decades.
“I am just as concerned about women’s rights in the United States as I am here. They are our neighbors, they are our friends and our family, ”said Obenchain. “The idea that anyone else should be able to dictate when a woman has a child, it’s amazing to me that someone thinks that’s okay.”
While it is legal to have an abortion in Canada, there are no laws in the book that explicitly guarantee it as a right.
Obenchain said he was concerned that obtaining safe legal abortions could also be withdrawn in that country.
“I like to say that when the United States sneezes, Canada gets cold. So that’s a concern,” he said.
The group has arranged for a meeting to be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the westernmost end of the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and several Canadians and Americans have signed up to attend.
“I refer to this as a rally or a rally, it’s not really a protest because we’re Canadians and they’re Americans, so we can’t really protest on their behalf, but we can show our ally and support.” he said. Hawke. “I don’t know how many people will go out, it could be a couple, it could be more. We are creating signals and this seems like an illusion because several people in the group are sounding like they are looking for an opportunity for their voice to be heard and they already have their signals planned.
People are welcome to walk up and down the boardwalk or stay in one place, Hawke said.
Obenchain said it was important to hold the rally in a looking place
“If we comfort a person with a uterus on the other side of the river, it’s worth knowing that the people of Canada are with them,” he said.