Thousands of pro-abortion activists marched in dozens of rallies across the country on Saturday to convey their outrage that the Supreme Court appears to be considering repealing the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion following a leaked draft ruling.
More than 380 "Bans Off Our Bodies" pro-abortion rallies were scheduled. Women's March, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, UltraViolet, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Abortion Rights Action League were among the event's sponsors.
Planned Parenthood, as per USA Today, began preparing the nationwide "day of action" months before a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision leaked, igniting anti-abortion rallies and gatherings outside the Supreme Court, which is now surrounded by a security fence, and the justices' residences.
Thousands of people assembled at the Washington Monument in gloomy weather to hear furious remarks before marching to the Supreme Court, which was enclosed by security barricades.
Anger and defiance dominated the atmosphere during Saturday's demonstrations that followed the Senate's failure to pass a bill that would have established a nationwide right to abortion.
Among the protesters was 64-year-old federal government employee Samantha Rivers, who is preparing for the abortion rights battle state-by-state.
"I can't believe that at my age, I'm still having to protest over this," she said.
Surveys indicate that most Americans want abortion access preserved - at least in the early stages of pregnancy, as reported by AP News. The Supreme Court appeared to be prepared to give states the final word. If this happens, around half of the states, especially in the South and Midwest, are predicted to prohibit abortion immediately.
Tens of thousands of people attended protests from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, to Lubbock, Texas. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but there were some heated encounters between people on opposite sides of the issue in several locations.
Not Just a Reproductive Health Issue
Though for some participants, the battle was a personal matter, as per a report from CNBC.
Teisha Kimmons traveled 80 miles to join the Chicago event to express concern for women in states where abortion is on the verge of being outlawed. Kimmons claimed that she would have died if she hadn't had a legal abortion when she was 15.
Speaker after speaker at the protest claimed that banning abortion would damage the rights of immigrants, minorities, and others, as Amy Eshleman, wife of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, phrased it.
"This has never been just about abortion. It's about control," Eshleman told the audience.
Thousands gathered at Brooklyn's courthouse plaza before marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to a rally in lower Manhattan.
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Crucial for the Upcoming Midterms
The approaching high court decision in a Mississippi case has the potential to excite voters and shape the midterm elections this year.
In San Antonio, the challenger to one of the remaining anti-abortion Democrats in Congress marched. Texas has a stringent statute prohibiting many abortions.
Just days before her primary runoff against U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Jessica Cisneros joined protesters. Rep. Henry Cuellar could be one of the first to see if the controversial draft ruling leakage will mobilize voters.
In Los Angeles, Gloria Allred, a well-known lawyer, disclosed how she was denied a legal abortion after being raped at gunpoint in the 1960s. She claimed that she had life-threatening bleeding following a "back-alley" abortion.
"I want you to vote as though your lives depend on it because they do," she expressed in front of the protesters.
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