Little room for compromise

In the early evening of Wednesday, July 13, scores of people lined the east side of Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs at Sayre Park to protest the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a judicial precedent which protected womens’ right to choose for the past 50 years.

In light of the court’s reversal, “We Won’t Go Back” rallies, spearheaded by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union among other organizations, have occurred throughout the country.

Local women, Katrina McAlpine, Tammy Reynolds and Trinity Stebleton, organized the demonstration in Glenwood Springs. They rallied supporters by way of a Facebook page called “We Won’t Go Back – Glenwood Springs”.

“I want my kids to have the same rights — and we all woke up that day with our rights taken away,” Reynolds shared with a circle of fellow activists, “but it’s our daughters that are going to be affected by this.”

“I support pro-choice,” added McAlpine. “I support cis women, trans men and non-binary people to make the right choice for their own bodies — that’s their choice. When I made the choice to have my abortion, that was my choice and nobody else’s.”

Reynolds told The Sopris Sun that it comes down to women’s rights. “While I don’t personally believe in abortion, I don’t believe it is my place to tell others what they can do with their bodies.” She continued, “I don’t know any pro-choice person who does [believe in abortion]. We just believe that it’s our right and our bodies.”

Annalise Burch, a resident of Glenwood Springs, attended with her son who donned a t-shirt stating: “Healthcare is a human right.” When asked why she brought her son along, Burch replied, “It’s really important that everyone understands that this affects them, no matter who they are — young, old, male, female or any gender — so he’s a part of this, too.” 

Pro-life
On the opposing side of the street, roughly 15 counter-protesters showed up. Despite several being equipped with sidearms, the pro-life proponents remained peaceful.

After hearing about the rally taking place, Marcia Villarreal put the word out to “like-minded” friends and family. “We are representing the unborn,” Villarreal told The Sopris Sun.

“We’re here because we believe in the sanctity of life, we believe that children are created in God’s image [and] that life begins at conception,” Villarreal stated.

When asked about her thoughts on contraceptives, Hannah Pfaff, who attended alongside Villarreal, chimed in. Pfaff stated that she considers contraceptives a lesser of two evils and “far less harmful” than abortion. “Killing a baby is far worse than being on a birth control pill,” she said. “You can even get a Plan B, which I don’t advocate for, but it’s better than having to carry a baby that you don’t think you should be carrying.” She quickly added, however, “I think you should be carrying it.”

Pfaff, 30, shared her personal experience of having a child. “He’s a good testimony as to why I’m out here today,” she said. “When we got pregnant, we were not married, we had been dating for a while and we weren’t very well off.” In part, she attributed her success with her baby to the Pregnancy Resource Center in Glenwood Springs and its services. (Xanax)

When asked if she would be willing to sit at the figurative table with someone on the other side of the street, Villarreal simply stated, “possibly.”