Mannequin sparks Roe v. Wade discussion

Brennan LaBrie
blabrie@ptleader.com
Posted 7/31/19

A mannequin made of coat hangers, bare when it arrived at the Tyler Street Plaza on the morning of July 28, was adorned with a dress of red ribbons by the end of the afternoon.

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Mannequin sparks Roe v. Wade discussion

Posted
A mannequin made of coat hangers, bare when it arrived at the Tyler Street Plaza on the morning of July 28, was adorned with a dress of red ribbons by the end of the afternoon. Each ribbon had on it the words and thoughts of passersby on reproductive rights and Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that set a judicial precedent declaring states could not outright ban abortion. The installation was the center of a display by Indivisible Port Townsend, which aimed to raise awareness of Roe v. Wade and what they believe is the possibility of it being overturned during the Trump administration. “People in Washington State have had reproductive choice since 1970 and a lot of them don’t know that it’s at risk now, and they don’t know that there are states where it’s absolutely banned and there’s no place for women to go,” said Indivisible member Linda Martin. Passersby were invited to write down their thoughts on Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights on ribbons and tie them to the installation. Indivisible’s Debbi Steele said that messages were written in languages from Chinese to French, and that some messages were from people who were against legal abortion, which the group welcomed. “There were a lot of men who contributed,” she added, “and I was really pleased. Mostly young men.” The group was also promoting a presentation to be held Aug 26 at the Pope Marine Building at 5:30 p.m. called “Life Without Roe v. Wade.” The event will include presentations by the Jefferson County Department of Public Health, the Washington Office of the Attorney General on the implications of the ruling being overturned, and women who recieved abortions before the ruling and the practioners who did them, followed by a community discussion. Indivisible is a national movement launched by former Democratic congressional staffers, who in 2016 published an online handbook on how to peacefully but effectively challenge the Trump administration, according to Martin. Port Townsend is one of over 6,000 Indivisible chapters and has almost 500 members.