BOISE — About three dozen women and a handful of men held “a peaceful demonstration” in downtown Boise on Monday to protest the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, removing 50 years of federal protection for women to have abortions and resulting in Idaho and a number of other states making abortion largely illegal.

Monday marked the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision.

The event, organized by the Southwest Idaho Chapter of NOW (National Organization for Women) took place just after daybreak at 7 a.m. on all four corners of the intersection at Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street, lasting through rush hour and ending around 8:30 a.m.

Many cars and trucks, either at a red light or zipping through on a green, honked and waved at the quiet sign holders strung out along the sidewalks, with some giving a thumbs up and others yelling out their approval, in solidarity of the demonstrators. Three Sunroc trucks rumbled through the intersection down Capitol, blasting their horns. One male bystander, who said he was here from out of town, walked through the protesters with an approving smile. “Good job,” he said.

While no counter-protesters were on scene, some drove past, giving the thumbs down. One truck filled with men wearing orange construction vests turned right onto Myrtle with a passenger shouting out the window, “abortion kills.” One of the women demonstrators said most drivers were either supportive or silent, but said some yelled expletives and called the group degrading names.

One of the demonstrators, who did not want to give out her last name because of fear of retribution, said she saw many passers-by giving encouragement but with caution. “Some people drive by and go like this,” she said, miming a shy wave. “Some people don’t want to talk about this. I’m here for women’s rights, you know? I’ve got a lot of sisters and nieces. You never know what’s going to happen.”

A group of women dressed in blood-red “Handmaid’s Tale”-type costumes huddled together around a coffin-like prop on the northeast corner of the intersection. The coffin signified the death of women’s rights in Idaho, said one of the women in red. Hatasu Tankersley, one of “the pallbearers,” said she was there to stand up for women’s rights. “I have a daughter and a granddaughter who now have less rights than I did when I was their age.”

NOW member Audrey Numbers said she was the one who organized the event. “I’m on the SWAT team — Smart Women Acting Together,” she said. “We try to do something each month.”

Demonstrator Sue Philley said she was there because “I’m very concerned that a minority opinion is making decisions that have diminished our health care in Idaho, causing many women to be harmed. I’m Unitarian Universalist and we believe in body autonomy and freedom of religion. I think women are to be protected.”

Jonathan Chu, a retired family doctor who was also a Democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives in the May primary election, was one of the male protesters. “I’ve delivered hundreds of babies,” he said. “Abortion is a part of women’s health care.” He said the Dobbs Supreme Court decision “has devastated the health care system.”

Cindy Thorngren, president of the local chapter of NOW, said the group was there to demonstrate peacefully. “We’re not confrontational. We’re just saying women are not free in Idaho. We’re not free to control our bodies in Idaho. It seems … strange,” Thorngren said. “Pregnancy has killed women for years. When I had my kid, I didn’t worry about it — if something goes wrong, I’ll be safe. Now, we have so many women being life-flighted out of state.” Thorngren pointed to the women in red across the street. “It’s the death of women’s rights. We’re in mourning.”

Thorngren said the group hopes to hold more events through the November election. “If we can be safe and not have the cars driving up on the sidewalks after us, we’ll continue to do this. It’s always a worry,” Thorngren said. “We’re just here to let people know they’re not alone.”