At Providence Roe V. Wade Rally, Residents Wary Of Future Rulings

PROVIDENCE, RI — Woodwinds and a steady drum beat came out of the speakers on the day the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. A man in a shiny silver blazer even brought a tuba.

Signs brought by demonstrators at the Rhode Island State House weren't so docile.

Some were inspired; "let this radicalize you rather than lead to despair." Others defiant; "we won't go back." Some even doubled down, like a sign depicting ovaries as block letters, reading "abortion on demand", complete with two middle fingers.

One sign perhaps distilled the feeling of the crowd most purely: "SCOTUS kills."

Despite the soothing music which greeted demonstrators on Friday night, spirits weren't high.

Jocelyn Foye, the executive director of The Womxn Project, who organized the protest, called the Supreme Court decision "devastating."

"I can't tell you how I wish we weren't here," Foye said.

Though Rhode Island is one of 14 states, plus the District of Columbia, with laws in place protecting the right to an abortion, anxiety on what's to follow is high.

On the local level, almost every speaker mentioned the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, with many calling for state lawmakers to call a special session to pass the measure. According to Planned Parenthood, the EACA would add coverage of abortion to Rhode Island's state Medicaid program, thus making abortions more accessible.

According to WPRI, the State Assembly ended their session for the year without a vote on the measure.

Speakers throughout the evening cited fear of a potential push for a federal abortion ban, as well as concern over Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion, in which he said "in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell."

Those rulings currently protect the rights to contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.

As for Thomas, boos rained down on even the slightest mention of his name like he was Kyrie Irving in TD Garden.

Jennifer Rourke, a candidate for the State Senate in 2022, and a co-founder of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, said she was upset most for her son, stating that the Roe decision was merely a sign of things to come.

"My son is 24. My son is gay, and my son wants to be married one day," she said. "And Clarence [expletive] Thomas decided we need to start reconsidering the decisions that were made."

View photos from the demonstration below:

Click the links below for more coverage of the local reactions from the Supreme Court ruling:

'Crisis Moment For Abortion Access': RI Reacts To Roe V. Wade Decision

Roe V. Wade Overturned: What Happens Now In RI?