Westfield Council Members, Residents Rally For Reproductive Rights

WESTFIELD, NJ — In response to the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, revoking the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide, crowds of local residents gathered at Spiotta Park in South Orange to rally in support of reproductive rights.

Read more: Activists Will Rally In Essex County After SCOTUS Abortion Decision

Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle, as well as Councilwomen Dawn Mackey, Linda Habgood and Emily Root were all in attendance at Friday's rally. Many Westfield residents also attended, in addition to Cranford Mayor Kathleen Prunty.

BlueWaveNJ, one of the groups that spearheaded the rally, released a statement ahead of the South Orange protest:

“On the evening the Supreme Court decision is released, overturning 50 years of precedent and taking away the constitutional right to abortion, we will stand in community and solidarity at Spiotta Park, South Orange, at 6 p.m. Bring your signs. Bring your voices. Bring your friends, family, and loved ones.”

Another organization involved in the rally, SOMA Action, wrote that they were "heartbroken, horrified and enraged" about Friday's SCOTUS decision, but they were not surprised.

After the rally, Mayor Shelley Brindle said in a Tweet: "Committed to keeping up this fight which began when I phone banked for [Planned Parenthood] before the Casey decision in 1992. Can’t believe we’re here. Let’s take it to the ballot box! #nevergoingback"

Cranford Mayor Prunty also said on Twitter that she protested for reproductive rights 50 years ago but that she is "ready to fight again for [her] granddaughters who today have less rights than their nana."

For those interested in joining the fight for access to abortion in New Jersey and everywhere, SOMA Action encourages people to join the Reproductive Justice Committee by emailing ReproJusticeSOMA@gmail.com.

Although New Jersey has codified the right to an abortion into state law, more people from out-of-state may begin traveling to New Jersey for the procedure.

Read more: Roe V. Wade Overturned: How Abortion Bans Will Impact New Jersey

People can also sign up for a Soma Action "Democracy Strikes Back Team."

"If our candidates aren’t in power, we can’t protect women’s rights or anything else," SOMA Action wrote on Facebook. That’s why we'll be out in force door knocking, phone calling, texting, and post-card writing for the mid-term elections!

From now through November, each team captain will initiate weekly actions for the team to take in support of local and out-of-state candidates. You can sign up for one of three Democracy Strikes Back teams here.

This article features reporting from Patch editor Eric Kiefer.