Shock. Anxiety. Elation. North Texans are confronting a new reality in the abortion rights debate – KERA News

North Texans spent the weekend grappling with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Some took to the streets to protest, chanting abortion is healthcare and hands off my body.

Others rejoiced over the ruling from their church pews.

At First Baptist Dallas on Sunday, the congregation celebrated the Supreme Court's decision and Independence Day.

Folks in the pews sang God Bless the U.S.A with the churchs choir and musical guest Lee Greenwood.

As the stage erupted with fireworks, the crowds cheers echoed across the church. Known as Freedom Sunday, the congregations Independence Day celebration also included stunt men dropping from the ceiling dressed as armed service members.

Dr. Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor at First Baptist Dallas, called the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization a victory.

This is not a victory for Republicans or conservatives, said Jeffress, also a Fox News contributor who has close ties to former President Donald Trump. This is a victory for the millions of yet to be born children who will now have a right to live.

Jeffress said the courts decision was a direct result of voting for Trump. On Sunday, he praised Christians for coming together to elect Trump, who nominated three of the Supreme Court Justices that voted to overturn Roe v Wade.

Waving American flags, the church members roared and rose from their pews when Jeffress thanked God for Trump.

Mike Deahl was in the crowd. The corporate attorney said the courts decision had nothing to do with religion. He said Roe was a stretch because abortion isnt explicitly mentioned in the constitution.

Roe versus Wade was a bad decision, Deahl said. And so, I think from a constitutional law standpoint, I wasn't surprised that it was overturned.

Still, Deahl said he understands why there were protests this weekend, even if its hard for him to comprehend why the protesters feel as though their rights have been threatened.

Several protesters who felt their rights were threatened by the courts decision gathered in Fort Worth at the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse on Saturday.

Olivia Castillo is a recent graduate of Fort Worth's R.L. Paschal High School and former president of the Paschal Feminist Club, which organized the rally the day that the decision dropped. She said the politicians who made the choices that led to the fall of Roe v Wade dont represent the will of the people.

We didn't vote for these elected officials, and they're all making decisions about our bodies and it just feels unfair, Castillo said.

Castillo said just years ago she had once considered herself pro-life but her views evolved as she learned more about reproductive options.

It's not as black and white as life begins at conception. You know, you need to have empathy for the people who get pregnant, Castillo said. I think a mother really does deserve the right to choose and make the most informed decision about her body.

Zoe Seymore, another organizer of the Fort Worth rally, said her lived experience as an adoptee impacted her views on abortion.

There's a lot of like trauma associated being adopted, including like, abandonment issues and trust issues and I think it's something that I wouldn't really wish upon anyone, Seymore said. I don't think that adoption is an appropriate response to an abortion alternative.

Seymore said once the rallies end, she encourages people to vote with the November general election just a few months away.

The only way we're going to move forwards instead of go backwards if we have the right people in the government, Seymore said.

Kawana Scott, whos with the Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression Dallas, said the politicians who chose to take away the right to an abortion will still access that privilege themselves.

Speaking at the Dallas protest she helped organize Frida evening just hours after the decision was announced Scott said that isnt fair.

You're sitting at the table eating and someone take your plate while they are eating, she said. It's sickening.

Scott, who said she's had an abortion, said she felt called to speak out for reproductive rights as a Black woman.

Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Scott said those racial inequities put women in an impossible situation.

All the burden is put on women to make sure that things like this don't happen, who don't want it, but then there's no resources put into place to make sure that we're successful in doing that, Scott said.

Following the speakers, protesters marched through downtown Dallas from Civic Garden Park to Dealey Plaza, through the West End and back to the park.

Xochitl Miranda, one of the many protesters, said theyre infuriated by the Supreme Court decision and that abortion is a human rights issue.

This is not just affecting women. This is affecting non-binary people, Miranda said. It's not just women's rights. It's all of us.

Got a tip? Email Pablo Arauz Pea atparauzpena@kera.org and Caroline Love atclove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is aReport For Americacorps member for KERA News.

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Shock. Anxiety. Elation. North Texans are confronting a new reality in the abortion rights debate - KERA News