Demonstrators march in Swanny Park at MARRN’s first event on July 4, 2022. [photo by Rachel Fixsen]
The Moab Abortion and Reproductive Rights Network (MARRN) will host a march “in solidarity for body autonomy and human rights” on Saturday, January 18, meeting at Swanny Park around noon and beginning the march at 1 p.m. The march will correspond with a larger “People’s March” in Washington D.C. at the same hour.
It’s not a coincidence that the marches are timed to occur two days before the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, whose forecasted policies aim to withdraw legal rights to abortion care.
“All are welcome!” MARRN wrote in an online post. “Bring your signs, warm clothes, and plenty of friends. We will peacefully assemble and move through downtown Moab on January 18th in a show of support for the rights, safety, and well-being of our community members.”
The gathering will begin in the park at noon with tabling and signmaking (materials provided), followed by marching closer to 1 p.m. Organizers articulated that signmakers can advocate for any human rights issue important to them.
MARRN was conceived following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, and hosted its first 100-person march on July 4 of that year. Since then, this “loose collective of locals interested in reproductive issues” has partnered with groups like Planned Parenthood Utah, League of Women Voters, Green Wave Utah, and local nonprofits such as Moab Mutual Aid, donating over $3,500 to Utah Abortion Fund since 2022. UTAF provides support for people traveling to, from, and within Utah seeking safe abortion care, and staffs a helpline for as long as they can afford each month.
“I wouldn’t even say we are necessarily a pro-choice organization, we are pro- arming people with the knowledge they need to make decisions for their health,” said Amanda Heidt, a member of MARRN and freelance science journalist published in national publications like NatGeo and the New York Times. “We’ve really struggled with how to reach the people who might be a little more on the fence with where they are. In 2025 we are really focused on bringing people information, and bringing people to the table.”
“Education is the basis of empowerment,” said Liz Hinds, MARRN member and a Holistic Sexual Wellness Educator in training with the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment. “We’re creating a conversation and communicating how reproductive wellness can be so big in people’s own lives.”
In a conversation with the Sun News, Heidt and Hinds emphasized abortion as an “umbrella term” for a broader array of healthcare services involving pregnant women throughout the reproductive process.
“No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, people have kids,” Heidt said as she turned her phone around to reveal breaking news of the White House nixing a proposal to make private insurers cover birth control, which could have benefited 52 million Americans. “There’s a lot of health decisions that go into having a child.”
“Will my physician be able to give me life-saving treatment if it comes to extreme measures [during the birthing process]?” asked Hinds, who, being pregnant herself, debated intensively whether to give birth in Grand Junction, Colorado or in Utah. “That is a huge concern that people need to be aware of and be thinking about.”
MARRN members meet consistently to dialogue on the continually shifting reproductive landscape, on a federal, state, and county level. Meetings are often held in the homes of members, involving food and fun.
“Something that came out of early meetings is that people felt very isolated until they got in a room with people who felt similarly,” said Heidt, who expressed the significance of engaging with people in her own neighborhood. “We wanted to frame this as a solidarity march to be with your community and take any sense of camaraderie you need from that. Community-building is one of our greatest tools at a local level.”
“We’re willing to meet people where they’re at,” Heidt said, speaking about individuals across the political spectrum in Grand County. “There’s no harm that’s going to come from engaging in a well-intended dialogue. We want the barrier of accessing knowledge to be as low as possible.”
Partners like Moab Mutual Aid, Green Wave Utah, and League of Women Voters will table at Swanny Park before the marching Saturday, some representatives traveling from the state’s capital.
“If abortion is banned in Utah, Moab will become the closest stop to the nearest clinic in Colorado,” Heidt said, speaking to the Utah Reproductive Roundtable’s keen interest in MARRN. The Roundtable is the collective of reproductive rights focused organizations in Utah which, according to Heidt, show growing promise for a working relationship with MARRN because of Moab’s location.
The group plans on hosting another event later in winter, similar to its first fundraiser in 2022, with a guest speaker from Planned Parenthood and a bake sale and silent auction. MARRN can be contacted via Instagram (@moababortionrights) or Facebook by applying to join as a member. A sign-up sheet for the group’s contact list will also be available at Saturday’s march.
Moab City Police are aware of the march and will not require a demonstration permit.
Map for MARRN’s People’s March on Saturday, January 18 in Moab.