High School Students In Fairfax Join Statewide Walk Out Advocating For Abortion Rights

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Amid shouts of "Our bodies, our choice" and "Show me what democracy looks like," more than 100 students from W.T. Woodson High School staged a walkout Monday morning in support of abortion rights.

The protest at the school's football stadium in Fairfax was part of a Statewide Student Day of Action for Abortion Access organized by Generation Ratify Virginia, a youth-led organization advocating for abortion rights.

"After the draft majority opinion was released, there was a collective feeling among Generation Ratify Virginia student leaders that direct action was necessary as our futures were on the line," said Abby Garber, the group's state director.

In an Instagram post last Wednesday, Generation Ratify Virginia invited students were who were troubled by the leaked Supreme Court decision to take part in Monday's demonstration.

"Individual students from schools across the Commonwealth reached out to us and we have aided them in planning their walkout and from there, we've had 45 high schools join us," said Garber, who is a 16-year-old junior at Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg.

Ella Stamerra is a senior at Woodson and the president of the school's Young Democrats, which organized Monday's walkout.

"From a very young age, I've always been interested in human rights in general," she said. "Seeing the SCOTUS decision being leaked, we knew we needed to do something."

The rally at Woodson began around 10:20 a.m., which coincided with the start of scheduled study break. Those participating in the protest marched out to the football stadium and gathered in front of a platform that the organizers had set up.

Related: Roe V. Wade Leaked Decision Prompts McLean Student Walkout

In addition to leading the crowd of about 100 students in several chants, each of the organizers took turns reading prepared statements and invited other students to use the platform to speak to the crowd.

Most of the comments were critical of the Supreme Court and the leaked document that showed that the justices were going to strike down Roe v. Wade, the decision that has protected abortion access since the 1970s. Many of the speakers called on elected officials to protect reproductive health care and that women should have the right to make decisions about their bodies.

One speaker, who identified as transgender male, said that abortion access was not just a women's issue but an LGBTQ issue. They said that only people with uteruses should be making decisions about abortions.

After about 40 minutes, the protest broke up and students began walking back to class.

"I thought the turnout was amazing," Stamerra said. "I really only thought we'd have 20-25 people, but even five people is enough. I'm so happy. All the support, I honestly cannot believe it. It's an amazing experience."

Principal Caryln Floyd said that walkouts like those on Monday don't happen that often at Woodson, but students have been know to become activated depending on what's going in the political and social climate.

"Students know that anytime that they want to exercise their rights around social justice, advocacy or advocacy around really any topic, that they know that leaving class is an unexcused absence," she said. "They know they have to make up their work. They know that they're responsible for their actions and that they need to stay on school grounds."

Students from the following Fairfax County high schools were planning to join Woodson in walking out as part of Monday's call to action: Centreville, Chantilly, Herndon, James Madison, Langley, Marshall, McLean, South Lakes, Thomas Jefferson, and Westfield. James Madison University students were also planning to participate.

Related: Abortion To Remain Legal In VA If Roe V. Wade Overturned

Garber hopes that the statewide protest would show that young Virginians, many of whom are directly affected by the abortion rights issue, are engaged in the political process and willing to voice their political point of view.

"I really am hoping to send a message to Virginia political leaders that the next generation, Gen Z, supports codifying Roe v. Wade and codifying the Reproductive Health Protections Act, and also ensuring that Virginia remains a state that is safe for abortion access that protects safe and legal abortion always," she said.

Once Monday's protests are over, Garber hopes to get some sleep. She was also looking forward to when young lobbyists representing her organization returned to Richmond for the 2023 General Assembly session.

"We had our first iteration of our lobbying collective during the 2022 session, where we were able to have 20 plus lobby meetings with various legislators on both sides of the aisle to lobby for abortion access," she said. "I want to ensure that we can continue that work as change is made in state government and I believe that state government is so important."

Related:

Roe V. Wade Leaked Decision Sparks Walk-Out At Gar-Field High School