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Abortion rights supporters rally at Battery Park

At least 200 people showed up at Battery Park in New Castle Friday night, responding to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Mothers, grandmothers, and daughters alike expressed pain and outrage at the decision.

Delaware is one of 16 states that has codified abortion rights, but Nick Beard, Reproductive Justice Coalition Chair for Delaware Now says the decision still has an impact here.

“The idea that we are lucky and that we are fine is what led us to take our foot off the wheel for 50 years," she said. "We are doing better than other states, but Planned Parenthood is not going to be able to provide abortions to everyone in the entire US who comes to Delaware. We need to make sure that we're building capacity so we can have additional abortion, we need to be doing things like ensuring that we have Medicaid funded abortion.”

Three of Delaware’s four Planned Parenthood clinics offer abortions – Wilmington, Dover and Seaford.

Beard also notes that restricting abortions affects women of color more.

“There has always been a sense, particularly around wealthy and middle class white women, that this is something that couldn't happen," Beard said. "And I think the reality is that rights for one of us, is rights for all of us.”

16 year old Mallory Murphy from Hockessin won’t be able to vote this November, but hope young people who are eligible do.

“So many of these elections in the past have gone to Republican or conservative candidates because not enough young people pulled their weight and showed up at the polling places," Murphy said. "And that's been changing a lot recently.”

But the Supreme Court may not be stopping with Roe. In the decision, Justice Clarence Thomas said that cases that expand access to contraception, and legalize same sex marriage and relationships are next to be evaluated.

Traci Murphy, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Gun Violence, and Mallory's mom, said that the same people supporting abortion rights will likely support those rights too.

“It’s all just layers of the same issue, which is about control and power, and who has it and who needs it,” she said. “I think that the people who support reasonable gun safety measures and also support women’s rights are the same people. These are the people who recognize that autonomy and self preservation are really important."

Rachel Sawicki was born and raised in Camden, Delaware and attended the Caesar Rodney School District. They graduated from the University of Delaware in 2021 with a double degree in Communications and English and as a leader in the Student Television Network, WVUD and The Review.