Week-long pro-choice protests in downtown Yuma

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The overturning of Roe v. Wade has sprouted an uproar of protests across the nation and now we can expect to see them in downtown Yuma.

From today through Friday, pro-choice protests will begin at the Yuma Heritage Library at 7 p.m. and finish at City Hall by 10 p.m.

Organizers are registering people to vote at these protests, have pro-choice speakers lined up, will inform attendees on their Miranda Rights and will have a petition to add women’s reproductive rights to the U.S. Constitution.

Protest organizer, Aliah Quintero, says she's upset over the recent ruling and decided to plan the protests to support that people can make their own bodily decisions.

“We need more than one protest, we need multiple," said Quintero. "We need to show that this isn’t a one-time thing, that we’re not just gonna sit back and speak our minds once. We’re gonna continue to speak our minds, we’re gonna continue to show up.”

Yuma local, Jimmy Gibbs, says he’s worried about women's lives as unsafe abortions will start happening because of the overturn.

“I hate to think that any of them would die in a back alley when they could have gone to a doctor,” said Gibbs.

Another local, Isabella De La Paz, who attended the protest says safe abortions were previously available, but can now only hope women will stay safe.

“Now that they’re taking that away, I think it’s messed up," said De La Paz.

Protest organizer and mother, Deja Tabarez, says she’s glad the option of getting a legal abortion was available to her at the time.

Adding that there are misconceptions about some mothers being pro-life when they are actually pro-choice just because they didn’t get an abortion.

“I decided to have my child because I wanted a child, but if I didn’t want one, I should have that right,” said Tabarez.

As of right now, Yuma does not offer any abortion-related services.

The closest Planned Parenthood is about an hour away in El Centro, Calif., leaving many with fewer resources to rely on now that Phoenix is also no longer offering abortion services.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year and report that about 20 million women have unsafe abortions every year.

Organizers of this week-long protest are urging locals to show up and support women’s rights.