PETOSKEY — The corner of US-31 and Lake Street was even louder and busier than usual Saturday.
Over the weekend, thousands of people from all over the country marched in support of reproductive freedom exactly a month ahead of midterm election day.
In Michigan, stakes are higher for pro-choice advocates with Proposal 3 on the ballot. The measure would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
In Petoskey, about 50 demonstrators held up colorful signs on the side of the highway.
Many drivers honked in support of the group's messages. Others drove by with thumbs down or middle fingers raised.
It didn’t bother Martha Lancaster much. She’s been protesting for reproductive rights since the 1970s, just before Roe v. Wade was enacted. She said she often thinks of her mom in times like these.
“My mother was an abortion rights supporter. She actually had an illegal abortion six years before I was born and she was willing to talk about that," Lancaster said. "But she felt very bad that she had to be a criminal to exercise what should’ve been a fundamental right to her.”
Lancaster helped the group Reproductive Freedom for All collect the record-breaking 730,000 signatures to put abortion rights on the Michigan ballot.
The group, along with ACLU of Michigan, Michigan Voices, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan are spearheading the campaign to raise awareness ahead of Election Day.
Other protesters included members of the Charlevoix County Democrats such as Tracy Ward.
She said she expected some backlash from Northern Michigan’s highly Republican base. She used to be a Republican but switched parties because of the June 24 U.s. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
She and other demonstrators used the motto, “we don’t support abortion but we do support the right to choose.”
“Northern Michigan has traditionally been a very red conservative area and we know that,” Ward said. “We know there are people that don’t agree with our views but we know there are people that do and may be intimidated about coming out.”
Demonstrations in both Petoskey and Traverse City were carried out with no sightings of counter protesters.
According to data on the Women’s March website, the Women’s Wave 2022 spawned over 400 events and over 15,000 participants from all over the country.
Women’s March is the same group that organized the 2017 march on Washington D.C. that saw participation from over 5 million people across the globe. It’s known as the largest single-day protest in American history.
As for Proposal 3, a recent Detroit Free Press poll found 64 percent of participants will vote in support.
“For me this goes back to accepting women as full-fledged human beings and citizens of this country,” said Susan Stockman, one of the organizers for the Petoskey demonstration.
“Women need to start telling their stories because there are so many more than we realize that we’ve kept to ourselves for a long time.”
