Alamogordo group, We Trust Women, will host the city's second annual Women's March

ALAMOGORDO – We Trust Women will host the second annual Alamogordo Women’s March at the Otero County Courthouse Saturday at noon.

The march is in conjunction with the national Women’s March across New Mexico and nationwide in solidarity with the Washington, D.C. march that’s also being conducted Saturday.

The Alamogordo march will begin at the Otero County Courthouse, 1000 N. New York Ave., then the group will march to Founders Park at White Sands Boulevard and 10th Street, where there will be speakers.

“The We Trust Women celebration and commemoration of Roe v. Wade has been going on for six years,” Denise Lang of We Trust Women said. “Last year we did join the Women’s National March, so we expanded all of the topics because women care about so many things besides just reproductive health.”

Former New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is expected to be at the march where she will discuss state House Bill 51 which will decriminalize abortion in New Mexico.

THROWBACK:Alamogordo Residents Rally in Support of Women's March

Alamogordo City Commissioner Nadia Sikes will fill in if Denish is unavailable to speak at the march.

There is state statute that was enacted in 1969 that prohibits abortion in New Mexico, Sikes said.

However, there's also a coalition of about 20 groups statewide, called Respect New Mexico Women, that are trying to repeal that statute, she said. 

"I know a lot of people locally find it abhorrent for us to be looking so we support abortion," Sikes said. "But it isn't abortion so much as a woman's right to choose."

Other speakers include Erin Armendariz and Jordynn Marelich.

The topics at the marches have expanded from women's reproductive rights to include LGBTQ issues, immigration, families and other issues that are important to women and the community at large.

“Women care about families and in some ways, I think that is what it has expanded to is women caring about families: we have community families, state families, national families and world families and we care about all of them,” Lang said.

LAST YEAR:Residents to host Alamogordo Women's March Sunday

Last year’s march had more than 100 participants and ended at Alameda Park.

The march is in conjunction with the National Women’s March in Washington, D.C. and the commemoration of the the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which ruled that unduly restrictive abortion regulations are unconstitutional.

For more information contact Denise Lang at 575-446-8583, Karen Hutchison 575-571-7645 or Nadia Sikes 575-491-7910.