Skip to content
Help support CapRadio’s local public service mission 
and enrich the lives in your community.
Support local nonprofit public media.
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu

Hundreds gather in Sacramento to protest Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

  •  Kristin Lam 
Friday, June 24, 2022 | Sacramento, CA
Kris Hooks / CapRadio

Dozens march through Sacramento to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.

Kris Hooks / CapRadio

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Sacramento Friday evening to protest the U.S. Supreme Court reversing the constitutional right to abortion.

Demonstrators chanted “not the church, not the state, people must decide their fate.” Sacramento resident Eunice Laws was among those who waved signs at drivers passing by the federal courthouse. 

“I can never move out of California,” Laws said. “I love my state and I’m thankful to feel protected here. I will open my doors to anybody that needs a place to stay to come and get a safe abortion.” 

Hundreds of demonstrators from two separate groups converged at the California State Capitol Friday, June 24, 2022 to protest the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decades-old ruling that legalized abortion.Kris Hooks / CapRadio
Dozens gather outside of the Robert Matsui Federal Courthouse to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.Kris Hooks / CapRadio

The demonstrations outside the courthouse and the state Capitol took place hours after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill aimed at shielding patients who travel for abortion services from legal action. The Supreme Court ruling makes access to legal reproductive care dependent on the state where people live. 

Laws, 39, said knowing her daughters no longer have the same federal abortion rights she grew up with scares her. Roe v. Wade had established federal abortion rights for nearly half a century until the Supreme Court on Friday overturned it. 

Jocelyn Monroe-Holder, 16, said she worries for friends in family in states such as Texas, one of the states with “trigger laws” designed to immediately ban or restrict abortion after the ruling. People of color, immigrants, youth and disabled people will be among the people most affected by the reversal, Monroe-Holder said. 

“People who don’t agree with abortion should still have the right to autonomy at the end of the day,” Monroe-Holder said. 

Sacramento demonstrators describe shock 

Anne Kerr, 17, moved from the Sacramento area to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho about two years ago, but returned to visit family and friends Friday. She decided to join a protest with a friend and said she felt lucky to be in town to show support for abortion rights.  

“California is really different, but it’s really important that there’s even this many people turning out for something like this,” Kerr said.”Whereas in Idaho, I would get death threats for being out here doing something like this.”  

Reading about the ruling on Instagram shocked her, Kerr said, despite hearing about the leak of the draft opinion in May. 

Hundreds of demonstrators from two separate groups converged at the California State Capitol Friday, June 24, 2022 to protest the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decades-old ruling that legalized abortion.Kris Hooks / CapRadio
Demonstrators march through Sacramento to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.Kris Hooks / CapRadio

Sacramento resident Isabella Valdez, 20, said the ruling made her feel sick. She woke up to a text from her best friend saying that the court reversed Roe v. Wade and thought about it all day. She missed a community college class to participate in a protest with her younger sister and her friend. 

Valdez held a sign saying “abortion is healthcare” and said she worried for people who lost safe access to the reproductive health serices. Some might try home abortions, she added.

"It makes me feel terrified knowing the amount of lives that are going to be lost," Valdez said. "People don't consider that pro-life really means pro-death for most young women in really bad situations."

Future actions to be determined

Alexis Guagnano, 72, said she is not sure where to put her energy in the weeks and months to come after the ruling. The Sacramento protests will not change the Supreme Court’s ruling, Guagnano said, but she joined to help put Congress on notice. 

“It’s really, to me, an assault on women,” Guagnano said. “I just want the federal government to know that as a citizen, I am outraged.” 

Demonstrators march through Sacramento to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.Kris Hooks / CapRadio
Hundreds of demonstrators from two separate groups converged at the California State Capitol Friday, June 24, 2022 to protest the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decades-old ruling that legalized abortion.Kris Hooks / CapRadio

The Sacramento chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America organized the protest and march that began at the federal courthouse. Claire Palmer, a leadership organizer with the chapter, said in an email she expects mutual aid efforts to be part of the future strategy. 

The aid will likely be for people who need help accessing reproductive care inside and outside of California, Palmer said.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Content

  • AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

    Governor Newsom signs bill to shield patients threatened by abortion bans in other states

    Friday, June 24, 2022
    The governor also said California will spend tens of millions of dollars to ensure healthcare clinics can support people seeking abortion from out of state.
  • Kris Hooks / CapRadio

    The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

    Friday, June 24, 2022
    While the ruling does not change abortion access in California, state Democratic leaders have been preparing for this moment and the influx of patients expected from other states to receive reproductive care.
  • State Government
  •  

 reproductive rights

Kristin Lam

Sacramento Government Reporter

As CapRadio’s Sacramento Government Reporter, I focus on covering Sacramento City Hall and connecting policy decisions to people’s daily lives.  Read Full Bio 

 @kristinslam Email Kristin Lam

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.