Vigil for reproductive rights held in Bloomington on eve of restrictions

BLOOMINGTON — Just hours before Indiana's near-total abortion ban was set to go into effect, women gathered at the Monroe County Courthouse to mourn.

"I'm holding it together, but I could barely eat today," Amalia Shifriss with Monroe County National Organization of Women (NOW) and Hoosier Jews for Choice said.

Emotions are running high, so Shifriss helped organize 'We Are Hoosiers: A vigil for reproductive rights.'

"I think there's a lot of mixed feelings. A lot of sadness, a lot of anger and mourning. I hope that through a vigil, we can sort of express our grief and our sorrow that this is happening in a matter of hours," Shifriss said.

About 50 people came to the vigil. Some brought banners and signs, but most just carried heavy hearts.

"It's absolutely a loss. It's a loss of a human right. We're one of the only developed nations that doesn't have this human right," Jessi Weiss, who attended the vigil, said. "I am just so devastated for the women who don't have the same privileges that I do. When if the worst happens, I know I could go somewhere else."

Elly Cohen, co-chair of Hoosier Jews for Choice, also helped the vigil come together. She said it's an opportunity for people to grieve, but also a chance to mobilize.

"I know a lot of people, myself included, who have changed their reproductive plans because of this ban going into effect. I think is really devastating and also infuriating," she said. "The next thing is, we vote. That's it. We get other people to vote."

"I hope that it will help people see the light. You know a vigil tends to have a candle, so hopefully that will be the light that shows people that we can take steps to make it better," said Shifriss.