Sonoma State University students participated in a walk-out on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 12 p.m. in the Seawolf Plaza. Many students and teachers participated in this event by bringing signs and wearing green, a color which has become a symbol of resistance amid the passing of anti-abortion laws.

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 abortion rulling, Roe V. Wade. Students have been protesting the decision since. 

Sabrina Blais, an organizer of the walk-out and final year student, is not new to these protests. Blais said, “There have been many people younger than me from different middle and high schools who have organized the walks out and sadly got in trouble. But here at SSU we are not as likely to get in trouble so I thought why not have a protest because this is not just for us, it is for the people who can’t speak for themselves.”

Adam Amjadi, a third-year creative writing major, joined the protest over their strong feelings towards the Supreme Court and their decision to overturn Roe V. Wade. Amjadi said, “I came out here because I feel like we’ve seen a slow moving invasion in the supreme court by right wing religious fanatics who lied basically to get confirmed by congress that they wouldn’t touch Roe V Wade but they did, they lied to get confirmed,” Amjadi continued, “I don’t respect the supreme court. How am I supposed to trust you and believe you are acting in good faith?”

Isabel Morrow, a first-year liberal studies major, was one of many students who were at the protest spreading awareness. Morrow said, “I am here because I know countless people in our country, their right has been stripped from them of abortion and I personally cant imagine being in that situation or being denied to get an abortion so I want to adovcate for people who cant speak up.”

Angelina Torres, a senior sociology major, expressed how she may not be affected right now by these laws but knows many others will be. Torres said, “I take these laws very seriously because I believe all women should have their own voice and their own place to say what they believe in. I have two little granddaughters so this will greatly affect them in the future.”

Torres also expresses ways she will help her granddaughters in the future, “Ways that I am looking to help my grandchildren, future grandchildren and all others who will be or currently are affected by such an atrocity with losing autonomy of our bodies by either becoming an attorney myself, policy maker, to change the policies that allow others to dictate what we do with our bodies or a sociologists where I can research and develop different studies that show the damage that the overturning of Roe vs Wade has on the population.”

Thirteen states have already made abortion completely illegal. Those states being Idaho, Arizona, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Although Indiana was the first state in the nation to approve abortions restrictions. The ban has been temporarily blocked in court making abortion currently legal in the state. For the rest of the states they are all in the process of deciding what to do.

Many SSU students are passionate about making a change for all and the turnout to this event was representative of that. 

Staff writer, Devon Bly, contributed the source material for this article.