Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets this weekend in more than 400 cities nationwide for the “Bans Off Our Bodies” day of action for abortion rights. The marches came in response to the Supreme Court’s leaked draft to overturn Roe v. Wade and strike down federal protection of abortion rights in America. Overturning Roe v. Wade would have devastating consequences for countless women and folks across the country, with several states poised to ban abortion with no exceptions. It’s a heinous coup orchestrated by the extremist radical right-wing judges, three of which were nominated by a twice-impeached criminal president. Despite overwhelming popular support for abortion rights, senate democrats were unable to secure enough votes for the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have enshrined abortion rights into law (and which already passed in the house). The vote failed 49-51, with democrat in theory Joe Manchin (W-VA) joining republicans.
The largest protests were in the country’s major cities, most notably Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The marches were a joint effort coordinated by Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, the Women’s March, and MoveOn. “For the women of this country, this will be a summer of rage,” said Rachel Carmona, president of Women’s March. “We will be ungovernable until this government starts working for us, until the attacks on our bodies let up, until the right to an abortion is codified into law.”
An estimated 20,000 people showed up in Washington, DC, starting at the Washington Monument and marching along the National Mall to the Supreme Court, which is now surrounded by barricades and security fences. In New York, Elizabeth Holtzman, an 80-year-old former congresswoman (197301981), said that the leaked draft opinion “treats women as objects, as less than full human beings.”
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) spoke at the event, where she discussed her own abortion as a teenager, during the “dark days” before Roe when it was illegal. “We’re here today to tell these radical extremists that if you criminalize people for having an abortion, if you make abortion illegal, if you take away our rights to make our personal decisions about our bodies, we will see you at the ballot box in November,” Lee said.
More events, protests, and days of action are planned throughout the summer, leading to a massive push for voter turnout in the November elections. It’s a great time to register to vote, if you haven’t already.
(image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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