DEMONSTRATING — Participants in Steubenville’s Women’s March on Saturday held signs and walked alongside Sunset Boulevard, between Eastern Gateway Community College and the city’s western limits. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Women and men demonstrating on Sunset Boulevard Saturday weren’t just standing up for their political views — they were marching for them.

Dozens dressed in white to evoke the women’s suffrage movement and marched alongside the highway as part of a local Women’s March. The demonstration was held in conjunction with Saturday’s Women’s March to the White House in Washington, D.C.

Steubenville’s march began in the upper parking lot of Eastern Gateway Community College and continued to the city’s western limits before circling back.

Lead organizer Sharon Elliott, who was assisted by Marjie DeFede and Kathy Antinone, said the march was meant to give voice to the area’s “silent majority” who stand for women’s reproductive freedom and support Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president in Tuesday’s general election.

Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, are deadlocked nationally going into Tuesday’s vote.

“We’re here to represent women and stand united against the forces of hate and those who would judge us for exercising our basic human right of autonomy,” Elliott said to the crowd of demonstrators, who represented Ohio and West Virginia.

“We recognize the danger of allowing the government to dictate what medical decisions and procedures are appropriate for women,” she added later. “We’ve seen the horrible outcomes that result in states where women’s rights have been stripped away. It’s clear to us that MAGA lawmakers are intent on legislating a total abortion ban if they regain power, and we intend not to let that happen because when we fight, we win, and we are not going back.”

Many demonstrators held signs, some of which were printed using the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County Makerspace at the Schiappa branch, Elliott noted. Signs bore slogans like “We support choice, freedom, health care;” “Honk if you support a woman’s right to choose;” “When we fight, we win” and “If one man can destroy everything, why can’t one woman change it?”

Participating in the march were Mike and Kim Gray of Steubenville, who said they don’t feel that others should be in charge of another person’s body. The parents of two daughters, the Grays felt those daughters should be in charge of their own decisions,

“There’s never been a time in my life that I couldn’t obtain health care, whether that be at the women’s clinic or the doctor’s,” Kim Gray said. “I don’t think anyone should tell you that you can’t have something for your own body.”

“I don’t think a bunch of guys in Washington should decide what women do with their bodies,” Mike Gray added.

Kim Gray noted the story of Josseli Barnica, a Texas woman who died in 2021 from an infection after doctors declined to treat her in-progress miscarriage because doing so could clash with the state’s abortion laws. Doctors instead waited until the 17-week-old baby’s heart activity had ceased before treating Barnica, who died three days after the delivery.

Also participating was Sarah Wakefield of Weirton, who was joined by her young daughter, Finley. Wakefield said she wanted to demonstrate “because I have less rights now than I did whenever (Finley) was born.

“It’s disgusting, and I don’t want her to grow up in a world like that. … She has less freedoms than I did when I was her age. It’s just going to get worse. They’re going to keep going. They’re going to take more and more away.”

“As long as men have autonomy of their bodies, we should, too,” said Shannon Carr of Weirton.

Carr said she was “shocked” when Roe v. Wade — the U.S. Supreme Court case that declared a constitutional right to abortion — was overturned during Trump’s first term. Referencing Barnica’s story, Carr said legislators were warned fallout like that would happen if Roe was taken away.

“Women shouldn’t have to cross many states to get an abortion,” she said. “I personally wouldn’t have the funds to pay for gas, to pay for hotel rooms because some of these rules require you to have like two appointments within three days or something. That’s a lot of money for some of these people, which is the reason some of these people are getting abortions — because they cannot afford taking care of a child.”

For securing women’s reproductive freedom, Carr said there’s “no other choice” for president than Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats. Carr claimed Trump likes to “distance himself” from the issue but is a “liar.”

Trump, who has long said he supports the states’ right to determine their own laws regarding abortion, stated in an Oct. 1 social media post that he would veto a federal abortion ban. He is considered by many to be the “most pro-life president,” having nominated three Supreme Court justice who were instrumental in the overturning of “Roe,” handing abortion legislation over to the states.

Abortion is an emotionally charged issue, one that’s expected to determine many voters’ decisions in the general election. While a portion of Americans view abortion as the killing of an unborn child and a crime against human life, others believe that being able to make one’s own decisions regarding reproductive health, including abortion, is a human right. A variety of opinions exist between the extremes, with some supporting exceptions for abortion in cases of rape or incest or when the mother’s life is threatened.

Harris has stated she would not allow a federal abortion ban to become law, and she would approve a bill restoring nationwide reproductive freedom if it was passed by Congress.

Eileen Krupinski of Steubenville, a former Democratic politician who represented the 98th District in the Ohio House of Representatives, said she’s learned from her time in office to look at laws’ unintended consequences — something Trump has never done, she claimed.

Gina Cross of Weirton said she grew up in the south, where she witnessed the lingering effects of legalized segregation, and she’s been involved in activism for over 50 years. She’s now “absolutely” on board with the Harris-Walz campaign and believes the overturning of Roe is responsible for women dying, like they allegedly were before the case.

“I’m tired of old white men telling me what … to do,” Cross said. “Power and greed is all they want.”

Those who could not manage the walk demonstrated on EGCC’s campus.

Present on the campus was an art display through the program WomenRoar24. Individuals could post written messages on the display, which is meant to raise awareness of women’s issues.