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DC bans protest against our bodies: Supporters of abortion rights gather

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Protesters gathered in Washington and more than 380 events across the country on Saturday, including New York, San Antonio, Chicago and Los Angeles, to demand safe and legal access to abortion.

The rallies come as a direct response to the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion, which signals that it is in a position to annul deer. against WadeThe 49-year-old decision that guarantees a person’s constitutional right to have an abortion.

National tensions over abortion rights have escalated following leaks this month. Proponents of abortion rights and abortion advocates – sensing a historic moment that will change American social and political life – have stepped up their efforts, with demonstrations on both sides of the issue scheduled for the weekend.

Abortion rights groups will unite, declaring a “ban on our bodies”

Organizers behind Saturday’s abortion rights protests saw the events as a resounding message to leaders that a majority of Americans support deer. The Senate failed to propose legislation Wednesday to codify the constitutional right to abortion into federal law after all 50 Republicans and Senator Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.) opposed the passage of a bill called the Health Protection Act. women.

However, Bridget Todd, a spokeswoman for UltraViolet, a gender justice group supporting women and non-binary individuals, said Saturday’s demonstrations called for the bill to be passed and urged the Biden administration and elected officials in each state to protect access to abortion.

“It’s a moment for all hands on deck,” Todd said. “It’s been written on the wall for so long, and people who have the power to do something haven’t really done much in action.”

Republican-led states have already taken steps to limit or ban abortion, and the anti-abortion movement is clear that its goal is to achieve a nationwide ban. At this point, abortion can be illegal or very difficult to obtain in about half of the states if deer fell, affecting the majority of women of childbearing age.

Kristen Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said the group would protest abortion rights demonstrations in several cities on Saturday, including Washington, to represent the anti-abortion movement.

“We do not want deer to see his 50th birthday, so I think there’s a lot of excitement, “Hawkins said. “Our ultimate goal in the movement is to see that abortion is unthinkable, so that no woman ever feels like she has to make that choice, and it is also inaccessible.

In San Antonio, several hundred people gathered downtown on Saturday morning. Many in the crowd said they had attended abortion rights rallies in recent months to protest Texas’s restrictive law, which went into effect in September, which bans almost all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Sisters Evelyn Tamez, 26, and Valeria Tamez, 21, came together to protest. According to them, their parents against abortion told them not to go.

When the Texas law went into effect, Evelyn Tamez said, she and many of her friends spoke on social media.

“Most people don’t even know they’re six weeks pregnant,” she said. “This sets a limit, especially for women of color.”

The nurses are from Laredo, Texas, on the southern border, where they say they know many people who have traveled to Mexico to buy abortion pills at pharmacies without consulting a supplier.

“It’s dangerous,” said Evelyn Tamez. If the Supreme Court overturns Rowe vs. Wade, she added, “This will not stop abortions. It will simply stop safe abortions. “

The court held oral disputes in December last year Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationon the constitutionality of the 15-week ban on abortion in Mississippi – a direct challenge to deer. The disclosure of the draft opinion in the Mississippi case, first announced by Politico, shows that at least five members of the court are ready to vote for annulment deer.

With a conservative majority of 6 to 3 in the Supreme Court, many abortion advocates now fear that a reversal with consequences for millions is inevitable.

Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March, said Saturday’s protest in DC was just one of many actions organizers plan to take this summer, demanding that the right to abortion be codified in federal law. The final decision can be taken at any time before the court completes its work in late June or early July.

“We need to see an end to the attacks on our bodies,” Carmona said. “You can expect women to be completely unmanageable until this government starts working for us.

A traffic police alert warned drivers could find limited parking and street closures due to Saturday’s demonstrations. He encouraged drivers to avoid the city center and recommended using public transport. Updated traffic information can be found here.

Caroline Kitchener contributed to this report.