ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (January 12, 2026) — The Quad Cities National Organization for Women will hold a Rally for Reproductive Freedom January 18 in Rock Island, marking the 53rd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion before being overturned in 2022.
The rally will begin at 1 p.m. at the former Rock Island County Courthouse lawn, 2nd Ave and 15th St, Rock Island. Maria Bribriesco, long-time NOW member and Scott County supervisor, will speak before the group marches around the downtown area.
The rally location at the foot of the Centennial Bridge draws attention to the dramatic change in a woman’s right to choose when she crosses the bridge.
In Illinois, abortion is legal until fetal viability, 24–26 weeks of pregnancy. In Iowa, abortion is banned at six weeks, which is before most women know that they’re pregnant.
“The change in a woman’s reproductive rights between the states is dramatic,” said Leslie DuPree, president of Quad Cities NOW.
“Women and their families should not lose care from one state to another.”
She said the goal of the rally is to draw attention to the issue of reproductive rights.
“It would be easy, in the blizzard of bad court decisions under the Trump administration, for people to forget that women have lost this right,” she said.
Also, anti-abortion groups in Iowa now are asking legislators to restrict medical abortions, although no such legislation has been put forward as yet.
