Denver students march on Colorado Capitol in defense of reproductive rights

Hundreds of Denver-area middle and high school students took to the streets on May 12 to resist the ongoing warfare against a woman’s right to choose and reproductive rights generally.

“Hey-hey! Ho-ho! These sexist laws have got to go!” and “My body! My choice!” chants rang through the air as Denver youth and their parents marched on the Colorado state capitol as part of a larger national student walkout in defense of reproductive rights and women’s liberation. A recently-leaked draft opinion outlines plans for the Supreme Court to strike down the historic case regarding the right to an abortion.

The march was multinational in nature and led by Black and Brown student leaders. The students marched around the building for hours during an unseasonably warm day.

A 15-year-old woman from East High School in Denver did not mince words: “We’re tired of these old white men deciding the future of our country when they’ll be dead in 10 years.” Another speaker, a Denver native attending Florida A&M University, testified to the horrors she has witnessed while attending college. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed HB5, anti-abortion legislation, as well as the repressive HB1557 “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Student organizers noted that this would not be the last action planned in the city.