More than 100 people attended an abortion rights march in Kodiak over the weekend to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Organizers said the crowd was about 130 people – nearly twice the size of a previous abortion rights rally held in May after the Supreme Court’s opinion was leaked.
Kodiak resident Don Zimmerman was out of town for the first demonstration held in May, but says that he would have attended if he could. He says he was at Saturday’s march to advocate for personal liberty.
“It’s just the idea of the state telling a woman what they can do with their body is just repugnant to me. And I think we have to do what we can do to reverse the damage that’s been done,” Zimmerman said.
The march began in Sargent Park in downtown Kodiak, with the route encircling the waterfront shopping district and then returning to the park. Before and after the march, demonstrators heard speeches from the event organizers. The rally began at 1 p.m. and lasted just over an hour.
In other parts of the state, Planned Parenthood organized abortion rights rallies in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Homer over the weekend. Organizers for Saturday’s march in Kodiak have yet to announce another planned event, but say that they intend to hold future marches and demonstrations.
Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly indicated that event organizers and an employee from the Kodiak Public Health Center gave speeches at the rally. The Kodiak Public Health Center was not affiliated with the march.