his past Saturday, numerous St. Lawrence students and local community members attended the Reproductive Rights March in downtown Canton. The march was organized by Planned Parenthood of the North Country New York (PPNCNY).
PPNCNY decided to organize this march in response to the recent legislation in Texas regarding abortion. “On Oct. 2, there were over 650 locations across all 50 states that joined to rally for reproductive rights,” said Meghan Conklin, Community Engagement Coordinator for PPNCNY’s Canton location. “We wanted to show that we will not be silenced and the attacks on reproductive rights will not be accepted.”
There were two marches across the North Country on Saturday, the one in Canton, as well as one in Watertown. According to Conklin, there were over 80 participants in the Canton rally.
Texas recently passed a law banning abortion after cardiac activity is detected in the fetus, which typically happens at the six-week period, according to CNN. The only exception to this rule is when doctors find a medical emergency with the pregnancy.
At the signing of the bill, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott stated the legislation “ensures that the life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion,” in a report by the Texas Tribune.
Anti-abortion group, Students for Life, say that the heartbeat starts at 21 days of gestation and the fetus can feel pain as early as 12 weeks, based on recent studies. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says what is actually being detected is not a heartbeat, but just the tissue that will eventually become the heart as the embryo continues to develop. BBC reports that most people do not know they are pregnant at the six-week mark.
Other proponents of bills prohibiting abortion when this activity is detected say it is a sign of personhood, meaning the fetus is “a ‘vulnerable’ class of people who deserve rights and protections” according to Time magazine.
Morgan Montminy ’22, a member of LGBTQ+ advocacy group Spectrum on campus, participated in the march. “I have a very strong opinion about reproductive rights and what has recently happened in Texas,” she said. “I wanted to attend the march to show my support for Planned Parenthood Generation Action [on campus].”
She noticed a large St. Lawrence presence at the rally. “There were a ton of Canton residents who joined in the march and an equal amount of SLU students,” Montminy said. “We were chanting, people were waving, and overall, it was a delightful sight to see. It was nice to see the support of Canton locals who felt as strongly towards the cause as the people who attended.”
Montminy believes Spectrum’s mission shares a common end goal with the reproductive rights movement. “Spectrum’s overall mission is to advocate for queer inclusivity on campus and we love to work with local and national organizations to provide advocacy for queer lives,” she said. “Everyone has a right to their gender and sexuality, and the reproductive rights movement advocates for that.”
PPNCNY plans to continue to provide services and hopes to see an increase in health center patients said Conklin. “We want to continue to provide the highest quality of healthcare, education, and advocacy to ensure the right and ability of all individuals to manage their own sexual and reproductive health.” Students can also learn about birth control methods, consent and more.
Resources available to St. Lawrence students at PPNCNY include education and health services. “Our health services…include reproductive well-person exams, preventative exams, primary care, birth control, STI testing and treatment, as well as LGBTQIA+ inclusive care such as gender affirming hormone therapy,” says Conklin.
She also said PPNCNY accepts most private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. Students in need of health services can make appointments by phone at 1 (800) 230-7526 or online by visiting plannedparenthood.org/book.
Walk-ins may also be available at the health center, located at 9 Miner Street in downtown Canton.
Spectrum meets weekly on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in the Safe Space room, Richardson 3. Students interested can come to meetings or message the organization on Instagram @slu_spectrum.