Teen students plan school walkout in support of Roe v. Wade

TUCSON, Ariz.(KGUN) — Several schools in Southern Arizona are anticipating a student walkout Wednesday morning, May 18.

The walkout is in response to the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade. News of the opinion sparked a group of teen girls who decided to organize a school walkout in protest.

DETAILS ON WALKOUT: Local students organizing "walkout" supporting abortion rights

"I was livid. I was sitting there and I couldn't focus on anything I was doing," Sophia said. "And I was mad and I wanted to do something about it."

"We don't have a say, we don't have power," Chiara Mery, TUSD student said. "We like, I felt powerless."

For many students the news prompted a conversation many of them felt couldn't be talked about in schools.

"Teachers were worried about talking about it," Mina Hicks, TUSD student said.

"We are going to continue fighting for this because it's more important than a day of school," Helene Saleska, TUSD student said. "It's more important than just us. It's important for the entire country and for our futures."

An Instagram account started by several TUSD teens listed plans for the walkout. The account had over 1,400 followers as of Tuesday evening.

"We'll be meeting at the [University of Arizona] to protest the draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade," said Lily McGrath, TUSD student. "Which will stop protecting abortions. So, I mean states can decide if abortion is illegal or not."

While the teen girls aren't able to vote, they hope to grab the attention of those who can.

"They have the political power, being adults," Renee Marrero, TUSD student said. "And so we want to rally them up as well. Because you know, some of us can't vote yet."

KGUN 9 reached out to several districts that are expected to have students participate in Wednesday's walkout.

TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said his district, Southern Arizona's largest, is anticipating around 300 students to walk out for this rally.

"Having a student leave our campus in an unauthorized fashion is not an excused absence," Trujillo said. "So we can't have zero consequences for students departing campus. What we're not going to do is physically detain students. We're not going to physically block students. We are just going to make them aware that if you leave campus you're not going to be returning for the day."

From 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., they plan to hold a peaceful rally at the Highland Quad on the UArizona campus off of 6th Street.

KGUN 9 On Your Side/Anne Simmons