Hundreds of Arizonans rallied across from the state Capitol on Saturday to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump and advocate for the causes the Republican’s administration is expected to undermine over the next four years.
Amid the crowds of pink and green knitted hats that symbolize the abortion rights movement, Stacey Owens brandished a handmade sign of a woman wearing an American flag bikini with an arrow pointing toward it that read “This land is my land.” The 61-year-old lamented that the country has “lost its way,” and said she showed up to the “People’s Rally” on behalf of her granddaughters and to highlight the need to mobilize.
“I’m marching for awareness, to get people off the couch,” she said. “I know people are disillusioned, but we need to stand up and say, ‘Enough’s enough.’”
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The Phoenix gathering was one of dozens of events held across the country by prominent reproductive rights groups, including Women’s March and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In speeches, organizers called on attendees to get involved and push back against harmful local policies, from anti-abortion proposals to strategies to make civic engagement more difficult.
Marlee Valenzuela, the president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Arizona State University, which educates students about sexual health, said now is the time to have uncomfortable conversations with friends and neighbors.
“We cannot let this new administration undo decades of activism that has expanded rights to autonomy, safety and opportunity,” she said. “We must keep fighting, we must be the safe spaces that we want to see in the world and we must expand our activist communities and support each other.”
Criticism of the incoming Trump administration was a consistent theme among protestors at Wesley Bolin Memorial Park. Laura Heidenreich, 67, waved a flag with Trump’s name crossed out on it, below which was printed “Don’t forget Jan. 6th,” a reference to the 2021 insurrection the president-elect has been widely accused of instigating. Tied to the flag was a balloon caricature of a crying baby Trump.
Heidenreich said Trump’s involvement in the insurrection should have disqualified him from public office.
“He should not have been allowed to be president, he should be in prison,” she said.
Starla Clark wrote “NO SIGN is BIG ENOUGH to list ALL the REASONS I’M HERE,” in bold lettering on the back of an unfolded United States Postal Service envelope. She, too, was critical of Trump’s election.
“I was raised with different values than everything he stands for,” she said.
But opposition to Trump, while a unifying theme among protestors, wasn’t the only impetus behind their rallying. Gina Guglielmo, whose sign advocated for LGBTQ rights, abortion access, climate change action and racial justice, said that while Trump plays a prominent role in pushing far-right policies, he isn’t alone in the push to pass harmful legislation.
“He symbolizes the agenda, but it’s not just about him,” she said, pointing out that discriminatory proposals exist from the state government level up to the federal government, both of which are now controlled by Republicans.
Leaders of progressive organizations celebrated November’s passage of Proposition 139, the state’s abortion rights initiative, and pointed to it as proof that a majority of Arizonans oppose restrictions on reproductive health care.
Athena Salman, the director of Arizona campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All, one of several groups that helped draft and promote Prop. 139, noted that it won more than 60% of the vote, earning significantly more votes than Trump.
“Our lawmakers should take note,” she said. “Enshrining abortion rights in our constitution received more votes than any statewide politician, any judge (and) Donald Trump. That should make it clear from the legislature on up that, if there’s a mandate, it’s for reproductive freedom and not the extreme agenda outlined in Project 2025.”
Project 2025, a conservative wish-list of policies that has been widely advertised as a roadmap for Trump’s second presidency, includes plans to ban the abortion pill, limit contraceptive health care coverage and heavily restrict the ability of women across the country to obtain abortions. While Trump publicly disavowed Project 2025 during the campaign, multiple former advisors and current allies were involved in the plan’s creation.
Several major architects of the plan will hold key posts in Trump’s administration, setting the stage for them to implement a conservative Christian agenda that has the potential to reshape the federal government and redefine rights long held by all Americans.
Erika Mach, the chief external affairs officer for the Arizona branch of Planned Parenthood, warned politicians that supporting anti-abortion initiatives would only spell defeat for them in the next election.
“We are here today to remind our elected officials that we don’t want them messing with our bodies,” she said. “And if they try, we will hold them accountable.”
The passage of anti-abortion legislation at the federal level would undermine the protections guaranteed by Prop. 139 in Arizona and undercut similar ballot measures approved by voters in other states.
But it’s unclear if the threat of electoral retribution will have any effect. Democrats ran on a pro-choice agenda in the 2024 election yet, despite a clear contrast in policies and widespread public support for abortion rights, Republicans still won a trifecta at the federal level and increased their majority at the Arizona Legislature.
Other states, including ones with abortion bans, also saw Republican sweeps at the ballot box. Across the country, anti-abortion groups and lawmakers were emboldened by the results of the 2024 elections, which they viewed as proof that abortion rights aren’t a strong enough platform to mobilize voter outrage.
Still, health care advocates are hopeful in the ability of voters to make a difference. Carly Gadberry, an organizer with Healthcare Rising AZ, pointed out that Arizonans have made their voices heard via citizen initiatives. The group helped shepherd the state’s abortion rights ballot measure and Prop. 209, which implemented new protections for those with medical debt, through the citizen initiative process.
Gadberry said that, while 2026 may seem far away for some, the group is prepared to support efforts to circumvent hostile politicians and pass new safeguards through that same process again.
“Our plan is clear,” she said. “We’re taking this fight to the ballot and using ballot initiatives and the power of your vote to make it happen.”
Rally leader and progressive activist Raquel Terán, a former state senator and one-time head of the Arizona Democratic Party, encouraged attendees to mobilize and celebrated Arizonans’ long history of advocating for social change.
“When Sheriff (Joe) Arpaio was targeting the people in our communities for the color of their skin, we organized!” she chanted. “When Russel Pierce passed SB1070, we organized! In 2015, we increased the minimum wage! We passed protections on health care! The abortion act made it into the constitution! We have been here before, we have muscle memory, we have heart memory and we are ready for the next four years!”
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