photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Hundreds of people gathered Sunday, June 26, 2022, at South Park to protest Friday’s Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade.

In the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal, a Lawrence church is holding a series of public conversations on abortion rights.

Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St., will host the first conversation in the series at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

In a news release, the church said, “This moment in history calls for careful study and informed response from people of faith and conscience. Since the Supreme Court decision in 1973, Roe v. Wade, which constitutionally protected abortion in the U.S., the United Church of Christ has joined many faith groups to safeguard equal and fair access to abortion and family planning.”

Plymouth said its speaker series would bring together leading voices from multiple disciplines, such as law, history and health care.

Wednesday night’s event will focus on abortion rights from a legal and historical perspective. Featured speakers will include Richard E. Levy, J.B. Smith Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, and Elizabeth Esch, associate professor of American studies, both from the University of Kansas. The event’s moderator will be Elinor Schroeder, Paul E. Wilson Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Law, also of KU.

Future events are set for July 20, which will feature health care practitioners, and July 27, which will focus on community organizers.

All events are free and open to the public. They all begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast via livestream at www.plymouthlawrence.com.