APPLETON, Wis. – Ashley Ostermann spent her Independence Day fighting for what she feels is a fundamental right: The right to abortion.

“We’re celebrating freedom, but half of our population just got their freedom taken away,” Ostermann said. “We no longer have to freedom to control our reproductive rights.”

She joined hundreds of other protesters at Houdini Plaza in Appleton for a July 4 abortion rights protest. The gathering was in response to the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that eliminated bans on abortions nationally.

Erin Mentzer protested in her home state of Kentucky before finding herself protesting in Appleton on Monday. She said people like her just can’t keep quiet.

“We can’t just get angry one day and go back to bed,” Mentzer said. “We gotta stay fighting, we gotta stay angry, and we got to vote.”

Protesters like Joy Rutter said they were encouraged to see so many protesters show up. She said they also found strength each time drivers honked their horns as they drove by.

“It feels pretty good to know that people actually care for women’s rights because it’s a right to be able to control your own body,” Rutter said.