HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — More than three dozen supporters rallied at the ITC intersection Wednesday afternoon to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling revoking the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States.
“Women not livestock” and “My body my choice” were a few of the rallying cries painted on cardboard signs and banners, as protesters waved and cheered at passing motorists, or sang along to music blaring in the background. Some signs had also been strung on the gate along the sidewalk.
Anabel Kassembe said she was horrified by the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decades-old case law allowed abortion in the U.S.
“I feel like the right to control what happens to my body at all points in time is my exclusive right,” Kassembe said. “So I’m here to protest the fact that I’m being stripped of the right to choose what happens to my body.”
Kassembe was joined by her husband and their young daughters. The mother of four stated it was interesting that “officially now” her daughters have less rights than she has had her entire life.
While abortion remains legal on Guam, there is no physician on island to perform the procedure. Making note of that, Kassembe said telemedicine abortion should be made accessible so that people are able to get an abortion earlier in their pregnancy, when it is safer.
“If you have to wait to be able to collect the funds to go off island, if that even is a remote dream for you, then the abortion over time is going to be more dangerous for the woman,” Kassembe said.
Telemedicine abortion on Guam is under its own legal battle in the federal courts. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit last year over Guam’s in-person consultation requirement for abortions, on behalf of two Hawaii-based doctors who wanted to provide telemedicine services.
The District Court of Guam granted a preliminary injunction on the local law, but that was before the Supreme Court handed down its decision on abortion rights. Now, the OAG has argued that the District Court’s actions should be vacated.
Local advocates must also contend with ongoing efforts to effectively ban abortion on island. Czeska Cabuhat said she attended Wednesday’s rally in opposition to the Guam Heartbeat Act, which would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, or as early as six weeks. The legislation makes no exemption for rape or incest.
“I’m here so that our politicians, especially during an election year, know that people support abortion and need access to it,” Cabuhat said.
Lily Carrillo, an exotic dancer, said she was outraged and beyond upset “at what the government deems possible for me to do with my own uterus and with my own body.”
“I feel abortion is just health care that anyone should have access to. Without safe abortions, there will still be abortions, they will just be unsafe,” Carrillo said.
A few organizations helped with the event, but a woman named Mya served as an organizer.
Mya, who only wanted to use her first name, said she would like to see local politicians providing more resources for women and girls, more victim advocates, and more programs addressing domestic violence.
She also said pedophiles should be removed from the community.
“Pedophilia in the church is a big issue here. The lack of action affects young girls having forced birth before their bodies are even fully developed into women,” Mya said. She added that there needs to be accountability and action, as well as access to reproductive health care on island.
“It’s a necessity and it’s a basic human right,” she said.
Myra Lacuata from Sinajana and Riley Purcell from Santa Rita joined dozens of people who came out for the Rally for Roe on July 6 at the ITC intersection in Tamuning.
