APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) — During Tuesday night's Outagamie County Board Meeting, one board member refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
"When women don't have equal rights, there isn't liberty for women," District 15 board supervisor Sara MacDonald said.
With her hand over her heart, MacDonald refused to stand for the Pledge to peacefully protest the Supreme Court's controversial decision of overturning Roe v. Wade.
"I kind of went back and forth, because I don't want people to think that I'm disrespecting the country," MacDonald said. " I don't want people to think I'm disrespecting the military."
The meeting carried on as normal following the Pledge, and there was nobody in the audience for public comment.
MacDonald says a reason why she sat during the Pledge is for her daughter, who she says is severely disabled.
"If she were ever to get pregnant, she would need an abortion," MacDonald said.
MacDonald is working together with Emily Voight from the Calumet County Board to form these protests.
Voight says other board members are free to sit for the Pledge during Calumet County's next board meeting, which is next Tuesday night.
"But I have a feeling it will probably just be myself for Calumet County," Voight said.
Voight says this stance by her and MacDonald creates awareness.
"And now, us as women feeling like we don't even have control over our bodies anymore, this allows us to have some semblance of control as a human being of what we do," Voight said.
And unless Roe is reinstated, both MacDonald and Voight say they will refuse to stand for the Pledge at future meetings.
Before Tuesday's meeting, I asked county board chair Jeff Nooyen his reaction to MacDonald's stance. He told me he respects her individual decision, but he stood for the Pledge. Following the meeting, another board member told me he had no comment.
