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WHEELING — Dozens of people assembled at Wheeling's Heritage Port at noon Saturday to show their support of the national Women's March which called on women and feminists nationwide to rise up on October 2nd in defense of womens' reproductive rights.
Wheeling Attorney Theresa Toriseva and Moundsville resident Dawn Fleming, who were two of five "co-hosts" of the Women's March Ohio Valley, said they assembled in Wheeling along with four other locations in West Virginia, to stand in solidarity with people all over the country who are standing up to be heard and say the "reproductive freedom of women is important."
Toriseva said we are a nation of freedoms — and that includes freedom for women and choices for women.
"It represents all of us standing up for women all across the country who are free Americans to make choices about their body," Toriseva explained. "The solidarity we see building has been incredible," she added. Toriseva said the group decided to hold a rally at the waterfront because conducting a March locally requires liability insurance. "So we’re assembling in order to do the same thing," she added.
Fleming said she felt it was important to co-host a local event showing support for the Womens' Marches around the country Saturday.
"I'm here to fight for the rights of not just our generation, but the generations to come," Fleming commented. "It is about choice. .. It's not abortion focused. We want the women's reproductive rights to spread, adoption, support young mothers that do make the choice to keep the babies. We just don't want to go backwards in time. We're looking to move women's rights further into the future.
Both Toriseva and Fleming spoke briefly to the crowd, and provided the opportunity for others to speak.
Wheeling Ward 3 Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum also spoke to the group briefly about the importance of supporting women and reproductive healthcare.
"As a member of city council folks tell me to stay out of federal politics, that it doesn't matter or you can't change it, or actually, 'stay in your lane.' I can't tell you how angry the phrase 'stay in your lane' makes me feel," Ketchum explained to the crowd. " I choose not to stay in my lane as a member of council. I understand the power of leadership over the municipal level, the state level and the federal level and I wish and hope and urge other members of city council in the city of Wheeling and across the state of West Virgnia to stand with their mothers, their sisters, their daughters, their non-binary friends and family to say, 'we support women and we support reproductive healthcare once and for all," she added.