One June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling from 1973 that protected the right to an abortion on the federal level. In doing this, the Court gave the power of deciding whether or not abortions are legal to the states. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, nineteen states have taken action to protect the right to an abortion, and thirteen states have "trigger laws" that were enacted as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned to limit or ban abortion as of July 18, 2022. As for all of the other states, it remains to be seen what will happen. Some of the remaining states have already passed legislation to limit abortion rights, and many are on track to banning abortions. One of those states whose fate has yet to be determined is Virginia.
Virginia as of 2022 is a swing state. This means that the future of abortion access in the state will depend on the results of this year's mid-term elections.
I happened to be in Charlottesville, VA in the days following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and noticed a chalk display in the city's downtown mall. Anyone with a piece of chalk can contribute to this wall display, so the wall was covered with raw, real reactions from pedestrians about the Supreme Court ruling. I took out my camera, and decided to capture these reactions to showcase and highlight the voices of the people.
Please be warned that this gallery contains language and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. With that said, viewer discretion is advised.
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