The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: abortion laws

  • Students show out in solidarity for El Salvador

    Students show out in solidarity for El Salvador

    by Alana Hackman and Carlos Pedraza

    Cal Poly Humboldt students and Arcata residents gathered around the plaza Thursday, April 7 in solidarity with El Salvador. The event was led by Klara Hernandez, a senior environmental studies student at Cal Poly Humboldt. Hernandez organized the event through her senior project and organization Eko Social Justice. Hernandez was also joined by Centro de Pueblo, an immigrant rights organization for Southern Indigenous communities also joined the event.

    Photo by Carlos Pedraza | Gathered crowd looks on during the speech at the Arcata Plaza on April 7.
    Photo by Carlos Pedraza | Gathered crowd looks on during the speech at the Arcata Plaza on April 7.

    The protest began at 4 p.m. and carried on into the evening around 6 p.m. Hernandez walked to the center of the plaza megaphone in hand and began her speech with a land acknowledgment and thoughtful address to her family who fled to the U.S. from El Salvador. Hernandez called for solidarity with the people of El Salvador and pointed out problems of racial discrimination against Indigenous and Afro-Salvadorian citizens as they are forced to adopt Spanish culture.

    Hernandez also addressed abortion laws in El Salvador and the rising violence and femicide rates in the country.

    “They imprison [women] even if it’s not your fault the baby didn’t make it,” Hernandez said.

    She continued to speak against many problems, including corporations privatizing and contaminating water, Bitcoin being adopted as their main currency is hurting those who don’t have access to it, and the LGBTQ+ community facing discrimination and violence in the country.

    An attendee of the protest was Alice Turk who heard of the protest from social media. The women’s rights issues spoke to her most and she feels people need to stand in solidarity with women everywhere.

    “I think the fact it’s a crime to have [an] abortion is something that needs to change, it’s a problem that is happening all over the place,” Turk said.

    Cal Poly Humboldt students Ben Cross and Evina Romero came out to the event also after being sent the social media post by friend and Cal Poly Humboldt psychology major Cheyanne Elam. Elam found out about the event through a class and was attending to learn more about what she can do for the people of El Salvador. All agreed it was important to use their privilege to be at this event and show their support for the citizens of El Salvador.

    “Immigrants from El Salvador and all over South America are being turned away at our borders, and the U.S. really has the ability to rectify these things,” said Cross.

    Photo by Carlos Pedraza | Klara Hernandez gives her speech to crowd while standing in the center of the plaza at the Arcata Plaza on April 7.

    Hernandez ended her initial speech with a call to action toward environmental justice and immigration rights for all. The crowd wavered cheers and screams from around the plaza flashing cardboard signs reading, “U.S. out of El Salvador,” “Women’s rights in El Salvador,” and “Indigenous sovereignty in El Salvador.” The signs were written in both English and Spanish. Hernandez mentioned her organization, Eko Social Justice, and that this event is an effort to use her voice for good and represent her home country of El Salvador in Humboldt County before her graduation and departure to Los Angeles this May.

    “The [Salvadorian] community is so tiny here that these things don’t get addressed. It’s like we’re invisible in this area so I wanna speak it out,” Hernandez said.

    Hernandez will be holding an art show at Brainwash Thrift Thursday, April 21 in solidarity with El Salvador. The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will include Hernandez’s own photography and art.

  • HSU students react to new abortion law passed in Arkansas

    HSU students react to new abortion law passed in Arkansas

    By Erin Chessin

    A new Arkansas law will allow the father of a pregnant woman’s child to sue her if she gets an abortion. There are no exceptions that prevent the father from suing, even in instances of rape and incest.

    The Arkansas Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act was signed and passed on Feb. 16 by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

    Many HSU students are concerned for how the law will affect women’s rights in the U.S. Sara Narajowski is a kinesiology major at HSU.

    “The law is a huge step back for women’s rights,” Narajowski said.

    She also said that all women deserve the choice to get an abortion because it is her body that is affected by the pregnancy.

    “By pro-choice, every woman has the right to protect herself both physically and emotionally from having an unplanned pregnancy,” Narajowski said.

    Abortion laws around the world vary, some countries are more strict about regulating abortion than others. While abortion is legal in the U.S, the new Arkansas abortion law could encourage other states to pass stricter abortion laws in efforts of discouraging women from choosing abortion. Students are concerned this law could cross over to different states and prevent women from having the choice to abort a child in the U.S.

    Another debate that arises from the new law is whether the law is meant to undermine the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, which gave women the right to get an abortion without having to state a reason.

    Jason Martinez, a major criminal justice major at HSU, is shocked the law managed to pass.

    “It’s unfair that a rapist can sue the mother of the unborn child for getting an abortion,” Martinez said. “It undermines how severe the act of rape is because the perpetrator can get money from committing a crime, without caring about the mother or the child.”

    Martinez also said that a mother not being able to get an abortion can mean emotional and psychological consequences for the child’s life in result.

    “People aren’t thinking about the child’s well being,” Martinz said. “If the mother has to have the child when she wasn’t financially prepared or was raped, this could cause psychological consequences for both the mother and baby.”

    Kassidy Hayes is a biopsychology major at HSU.

    “The law supports the subordination of women’s rights,” Hayes said.

    Hayes said that she feels that abortion is not an easy choice, but it is a rightful choice women should have for the safety of her body.

    “It’s interesting how these laws are being passed down by men, who will never know what it’s like to carry a baby,” Hayes said.

    Currently, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas is seeking to challenge the abortion bill in court before it goes into effect in 2017.