President Trump's Supreme Court pick to replace outgoing justice Anthony Kennedy, Brett Kavanaugh, is of high concern to women's rights activists.
A conservative, Kavanaugh has made it plain he's anti-abortion, and women's rights supporters fear having Kavanaugh on the bench could lead to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
To make their voices heard about the potential justice, hundreds of women gathered to protest Kavanaugh in New York City on Sunday at one of over 165 Unite for Justice events. Therese Patricia Okoumou, who became a heroine for many when she climbed the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July to protest the Trump administration's forced child separation policy, joined the rally.
Therese Patricia Okoumou, the woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty on July 4, speaks at #StopKavanaugh rally at Foley Square.
“We will not be silenced. We will continue to speak.” pic.twitter.com/ZEAQCepkB0
— Ivan Pereira (@IvanPer4) August 26, 2018
"We will not be silenced. We will continue to speak," the activist said, according to Yahoo News, while rocking the same green dress she wore to her trespassing trial.
The dress references the coat Melania Trump wore to visit forcibly separated children that read, 'I Really Don't Care, Do U?,' reading instead, “I REALLY CARE, WHY WON’T U?” The dress also features the words “BE BEST," a reference to the first lady's anti-bullying campaign, The Cut reports.
At the rally, Okoumou explained why the right to choose was a personal matter for her.
“I’ve had two abortions in my life, and I am proud,” said Okoumou. “As a woman, it’s my body, and it’s my choice, America.”
The activist said she had an abortion at 18 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and another in the United States in 1994.
Okoumou said thanks to Roe v. Wade, the latter procedure wasn't difficult.
“At the time, I didn’t think it was hard,” the 44-year-old said of her abortion in the United States. “I went to one place and right away it was done. Like piece of cake, no problems. Now there are forces out there, men especially, who want to have a say in what women can and cannot do with their bodies.”
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