Community members joined the Madison Abortion and Reproductive Rights Coalition for Health in a march Saturday afternoon. The march was one of many events that occurred nationally on Oct. 8 as a part of the Women’s Wave 2022, put on by the Women’s March.

Demonstrators walked down State Street from Library Mall on the University of Wisconsin campus to the Wisconsin State Capitol.

At the capitol, leaders from MARRCH spoke on the goals of the march and invited community members to share why they fight for reproductive rights.

MARRCH member Destiny Smoot told The Badger Herald that the goal of the demonstration was to catch the attention of politicians at varying levels.

“We’re trying to get everyone that we can out on the streets to put pressure on politicians,” Smoot said. “They’re not going to deliver reproductive healthcare unless there are more people on the streets saying ‘do your job.’”

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The nationwide demonstrations follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Saturday’s demonstrations were held exactly one month before midterm elections — with the goal of encouraging voters to elect candidates who are in favor of abortion and reproductive rights, according to the Women’s march website.

As a result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, individual states became responsible for determining abortion policies and reproductive rights, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. 

The 1849 Wisconsin law abortion statute classifies providing an abortion in the state of Wisconsin a felony. Under Roe v. Wade, this was unenforceable, but the overturning reverted Wisconsin back to the 19th century law.

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MARRCH’s Women and People’s March focused on intersectionality in the discussion of reproductive rights, according to demonstration leaders. The overturning of Roe v. Wade impacts every person who has a uterus — which is not limited to women, according to demonstration leaders.

Representatives from MARRCH have advocated for reproductive rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The organization has organized various demonstrations — all of which aim to get the attention of politicians, according to Smoot.

“The more we’re out here and the more we keep coming, the more people are going to join,” Smoot said. “We’re going to get what we want — which is our bodily autonomy back.”