By Mary O’KEEFE

On Monday, Crescenta Valley High School students let their voices be heard in a protest that began in the school’s quad, traveled to the Ralphs Plaza in the 2600 block of Foothill Boulevard and then ended back at the school.

The students were organized, articulate and respectful as they protested a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land since 1973.

With a seven-to-two ruling in 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court found that unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion was unconstitutional. A recently leaked draft opinion that appears to overturn Roe v. Wade was released recently causing voices to be raised on both sides of the issue. It is important to note that the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to officially vote on the issue of Roe v. Wade.

The goals of the demonstration by the CVHS students on Monday were twofold, according to Connor Eubank, who was one of the organizers:

“The first is to highlight the unjust, inequitable nature of this decision and how it will disproportionately impact and harm marginalized groups, specifically low-income individuals and women of color; second, the protest aims to encourage members of our community – both at school and in the greater LA area – to educate themselves, participate in future activism and advocacy, and to utilize their voices for positive change at the ballot box.”

The protest began on campus as a “die-in” that about 60 kids participated in and was only accessible to students and faculty of the school. This was followed by a walkout along Foothill Boulevard.

There were student protesters and student counter-protestors at the school, and a few adults who had counter opinions who approached the students when they were on Foothill; however, Eubank said the encounter was not violent.

“We were very fortunate to have support from [the school administration] and had supervision,” Eubank added.

The protestors are the next generations of voters and, although California has shown its support for pro choice, they wanted to mobilize the youth and inspire others.

Eubank added the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade is not just about abortions but fundamental rights of individuals to have body autonomy.

The concern voiced by organizers was the possibility that overturning the ruling could affect the rights of others, like queer or transgender people.

“I think fundamentally people need to recognize this is not just about abortion rights, it goes far beyond that to the idea of whether or not people have autonomy [of their own bodies] and neither the government, individuals or political religious views can dictate what people can or cannot do,” Eubank said.

In the May 26 issue, CVW will have interviewed the counter-protesters.