Anti-abortion rally protests Roe v. Wade

Posted 1/26/21

On a chilly Saturday morning, more than 120 Powell-area residents rallied in protest on the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing a woman’s right to have an …

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Anti-abortion rally protests Roe v. Wade

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On a chilly Saturday morning, more than 120 Powell-area residents rallied in protest on the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing a woman’s right to have an abortion without excessive restrictions.

“In Wyoming, you really have to be willing to suffer for Jesus if you’re coming out in January,” said Shane Legler, event organizer and pastor of Garland Community Church.

Legler said it was important to get out, especially this year after President Joe Biden lifted an executive order by the Trump administration and is “funding abortion worldwide again.”

He also referenced Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s 2020 veto of Wyoming’s Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which mirrored a federal bill by the same name co-sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and former Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. 

“It was really a disappointment last year when the governor vetoed that,” Legler said.

The anti-abortion bill passed both houses of the Wyoming Legislature by wide margins last session prior to the veto; Gordon said there were already laws in place in Wyoming against late-term abortions and called the legislation redundant.

Park County Right to Life hosts a March for Life in Cody every year, which many in the group attend, but the group decided to organize its own rally in Powell in recent years.

“Not everybody can make it to the March, so the idea is that for those in the community that either couldn’t make it to Cody or couldn’t physically march, that they could just come here and affirm God’s position on life,” Legler said.

The rally was brief and included Legler’s message with area residents showing their support on stage and snacks offered afterwards.

“We pledge to fight for the lives of the unborn until the stain and shame of abortion is removed from our nation. We will never give up,” he said during his speech.

Several states are testing the boundaries of the court ruling in the coming months, including six bills in Montana. The Wyoming “born alive” bill has been filed again for the 2021 legislative session.

The March for Life in Cody will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Park County Courthouse. The event typically involves a march to a memorial for the unborn at Riverside Cemetery, but that component of this year’s event was canceled so as not to conflict with an 11:30 a.m. graveside service for the late Sen. Hank Coe.

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