YOUNGSTOWN — Abby Douglas hopes one day to have a child, but it’s cultural and societal conditions, not a physical one, that is causing unwanted hesitation.

“I really want children, but it’s not safe enough because they’re taking away our health care,” Douglas, 27, of Niles, said. “It’s very stressful now.”

One way she presumably alleviated a portion of such stress was by making her voice about such an issue heard via joining several dozen others who took part in a Rise Up for Reproductive Rights demonstration Saturday afternoon outside of, and across from, the Planned Parenthood Youngstown Health Center, 77 E. Midlothian Blvd., on the South Side.

Hosting the gathering was the Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters organization, in partnership with Youngstown Solidarity, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and the Steel Valley Freedom Coalition.

Also at the two-hour event were a few dozen anti-abortion demonstrators.

Douglas added that she would want to ensure that in the event of a problem during a pregnancy, any procedure she might need — including an emergency abortion — would be available to her.

Too often, some who oppose reproductive rights paint those who are pro-choice as people who hate children, a false notion that is “scary” in this politically charged climate, she continued.

“This is not a man vs. women issue; it’s a people issue,” Devlyn Carlson of Youngstown, who works for the Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters, said.

Carlson added that he respects the hearts of those on the other side of the issue, saying the majority of them are caring people. Nevertheless, many who oppose abortion outright don’t see or understand the nuances of such a complex issue as reproductive rights because, for one thing, “nothing men are told to do with their bodies is on an equivalent level,” he explained.

In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court set the argument regarding fetal viability (the point in a pregnancy when a fetus has a reasonable chance of surviving outside of the womb, often with medical intervention) and potentiality (the ability of an embryo or fetus to develop into a full human), he said.

No one wants to advocate for an abortion beyond viability or is “for killing babies,” Carlson said. The landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision was, in essence, a balancing act of women’s rights that had been agreed upon for decades before the high court overturned Roe on June 24, 2022, in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, he added.

Calling some of the Supreme Court justices “political players rather than justices,” Carlson said the court created unnecessary problems when the majority voted to overturn Roe.

Reproductive rights extend beyond the abortion fight; they also encompass “the full spectrum of health care,” Dr. Alexis Smith, an area radiologist, said in her remarks Saturday. She added that soon after Roe was overturned, many states followed suit via rolling back 50 years of progress regarding reproductive rights.

The situation has resulted in many women “bleeding out” in parking lots because they were unable to receive needed medical care, as well as others who have had to travel hundreds of miles for such procedures.

“Today, we must organize, educate, vote and demand our elected officials support access, and challenge misinformation with compassion,” Smith said, adding that it’s imperative women have access to affordable health care such as contraception, mental health services and gender-affirming care.

GAC refers to social, legal and medical interventions that affirm and support one’s gender identity, regardless of whether it aligns with the person’s sex assigned at birth.

“Don’t give up. Speak out, vote and take care of one another,” said Smith, who also expressed hope for what she envisions as a fair and just health care system devoid of political interference and stigmatization.

Echoing many of Smith’s points was Melissa Ramirez, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio’s chief development officer, who said that an estimated 22,000 Ohioans on Medicaid could lose a major safety option. In addition, she cited two pieces of legislation being considered in the Ohio General Assembly.

Specifically, she referred to House Bill 410, which would bar state Medicaid funds from going to any entity that is prohibited from receiving federal dollars. The legislation would, in effect, target organizations such as Planned Parenthood that provide abortions.

She also warned against what she sees as potential harm from a bill known as the Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act, which would seek to further restrict abortion access.

Patience Morris, 47, of Salineville, recalled having been sexually assaulted as a child, which was traumatic but also placed her on a path to “stand up for women’s rights.” Morris, who attended an anti-Trump rally last week in Washington, D.C., said she came to the local demonstration also to advocate for people who may have been too frightened to make their voices heard.

“I want to use what happened to me as a basis to reach out to others with care and empathy,” Morris added.

Saturday’s demonstration also had a few dozen anti-abortion demonstrators, many of whom carried signs that read, “You don’t have to do this today” and “Pray to end abortion.”

Perhaps one of the most ardent among them was Kelly McGuire of Youngstown, who said she regrets having aborted her unnamed son 27 years ago.

“I suffered for it. I’m out here today in honor of my child,” McGuire said, adding that her daughter, Rayana McGuire, 34, also attended the demonstration.

Calling her body “a temple of Jesus Christ,” every child is a child in God’s eyes, McGuire explained, adding that she hopes men and women realize that, in the long run, the decision to have an abortion likely will come back to haunt those who have one.

Also, several people at Saturday’s gathering equated abortion with the murder of an unborn child.

In addition, Saturday’s Rise Up for Reproductive Rights event was a fundraiser, with a goal of raising at least $100 from the sale of T-shirts, buttons and other merchandise, Helana Komsa of the Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters organization noted. Half of the proceeds will go to the local Planned Parenthood clinic, she said.

Janet Cobb, who’s also with the MVFF, announced that the organization will host an Art of Political Resistance Auction & Craft Show noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Calvin Center for the Arts, 755 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown.