CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Protesters rallied in front of the Harrison County Courthouse in downtown Clarksburg on Monday evening.
The protest involved more than 100 people in support of abortion rights.
Protesters said they were not happy about the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which effectively overthrew the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision. They said they were concerned with the direction the country is heading in.
Protest organizer Christina Murphy said, “It was in my heart just to form a rally, form a way for people to get together. I’m a formal school teacher that went through two strikes, so I know how important it is to get your face out there in the public to show them that we were not happy with the decision that the Supreme Court made on Friday.”
Jeannette Maher, a concerned mother who attended the protest, said, “I really worry about the direction we are going in with what happened recently, so I wanted to bring my daughter out who was 12 to show her what is important and have her have a voice as well.”
West Virginia did not have laws in place that immediately banned abortion in the state, but Gov. Jim Justice, Attorney General Morrisey and leaders in the West Virginia Legislature said they would be willing to move forward on abortion restricting laws in the state.
Other protests around the state
Since the Supreme Court decision, rallies have taken place across the state, and there are plans for more. Over the weekend, protests were held in Charleston and Huntington.
Charleston – Saturday, July 2 at the West Virginia State Capital. More information here.
Morgantown – Saturday, July 2, 10 a.m. at the Courthouse Square, 243 High St. More information about Morgantown NOW.
Fairmont – Saturday, July 2, at 10 a.m. sponsored by the ACLU. More information or to sign up.