Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

PHOTOS: Across N.H., crowds rally in response to Supreme Court abortion ruling

This story was updated on June 25 with additional reporting from this weekend's demonstrations.

Hundreds rallied across New Hampshire this weekend in protest of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning the constitutional right to an abortion established in Roe v. Wade.

The court's ruling has no immediate effect in New Hampshire, where abortion remains legal up to 24 weeks and, in some limited circumstances, beyond that. Still, some who turned out to protest this weekend said they feared it could pave the way for further restrictions — a goal echoed by local anti-abortion activists in the wake of the court’s ruling.

Read more:The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Where does that leave abortion access in N.H.?

Large crowds gathered in several communities Friday night, including inManchester,Exeter,Keene andPortsmouth. The rallies werecoordinated by Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, in partnership with other abortion rights advocates and reproductive health providers.

At one gathering outside the New Hampshire Supreme Court in Concord, 82-year-old Mary Lee Sargent found herself reflecting on her time as an activist for feminist causes leading up to the Roe ruling in 1973. Five decades ago, she said, it felt hopeful — like progress was being made. Now, she feels the opposite.

"This is far worse-feeling, because it's such a — I mean, going backward, and in such a horrible, totalist way," Sargent said.

Michelle Antosiewicz, of Barrington, and her 17-year-old daughter also joined the crowd in Concord. While Antosiewicz said she sensed this news was coming, it was still a shock "to really realize I'm in a time where a child born today has fewer rights than 50 years ago."

A small crowd of anti-abortion activists also rallied in Manchester Saturday night to cheer the Supreme Court's ruling. But Paul Galasso, who was leading that event, said their work wasn’t over.

"Firstly, we celebrate,” Galasso told a few dozen people gathered outside Manchester City Hall. “But secondly, New Hampshire's going to continue to be a pro-abortion state. You probably saw the governor's words around this that he's a pro-choice governor.”

Mention of Sununu’s stance on abortion drew a few boos. One person shouted, “Primary him!”

Sununu signed a 24-week abortion ban into law as part of last year’s state budget but has since backed some exceptions to that cutoff. On Friday, he said abortion will remain “safe, accessible and legal in New Hampshire.”

Galasso, who said he was working in coordination with the Pro-Life Action League, viewed the Supreme Court's ruling as a good first step. But, in his words, "the next objective is to make New Hampshire a pro-life state."

"We would not have legal actions directed at the women, it would be more at the providers who are providing an unlawful service,” he said. “We would like to be like Missouri, for example. No abortions, period."

A recent University of New Hampshire poll suggests just 10% of Granite Staters support a total ban on the procedure.

Saturday’s event in Manchester also drew several counter protesters, some who waved signs supporting abortion rights and at times engaged directly with the anti-abortion activists. One, who asked not to be named because they feared personal repercussions, said they didn't want to let the voices of people celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling go unchallenged.

"I started crying when I found out this was overturned,” they said. “Abortion literally saved my life."

Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.