Hundreds turn out for reproductive rights march in Fountain Valley
A crowd of hundreds gathered at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate for women’s reproductive rights, one of numerous protests that were held nationwide over a Texas abortion law.
The Fountain Valley event, which saw a great many attendees carrying signs and wearing pink, was one of several held across Orange County.
Demonstrations also took place in Fullerton, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Tustin. Planned Parenthood also provided a virtual option for those who wished to participate remotely.
Margie Johnson, 77, organized the local protest. A 44-year resident of Fountain Valley, Johnson said she had attended one march, in Los Angeles, in her lifetime.
“I was infuriated with what was happening in Texas,” Johnson said. “I thought, ‘Well, they’re marching. There’s going to be a march. I’m going to see where there’s one so that I can go to that.’”
When she entered her ZIP Code and found out there was not a rally planned in her town, Johnson decided to be a host. She called the experience “a real eye-opener” after seeing the community response.
A handful of local politicians addressed the crowd at the Fountain Valley demonstration, including Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, former congressman Harley Rouda and Huntington Beach Councilwoman Rhonda Bolton.
“This is more than just about reproductive rights,” Foley said. “This is about women’s rights. The Texas law and the movement across America is really, at its core, both a racist and a sexist movement.”
Libby Frolichman, whom Johnson said helped her orchestrate the event, commented that policies that restrict reproductive rights do not just affect women, but they also impact groups such as transgender men and those who identify as nonbinary.
“We are here to raise our voices in solidarity with the people of Texas and folks who know that laws like [Senate Bill 8] are wrong,” Bolton said. “It’s wrong for the government or anybody else to intrude on the most important decision a person makes: whether or not to be a parent.”
Rudy Huebner, who said she plans to run for Fountain Valley City Council, led the crowd in a chant of “women’s rights are human rights” at the end of her remarks.
“We are here in Fountain Valley, in the City of Kindness, to take a stand and fight back against cruelty with compassion and with conviction,” Huebner said.
“We are here to protect our right to choose and to advocate for reproductive rights for the next generation of women, so that they, too, have the right to choose.”
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