Protests spread across US against SC ruling

Published June 26, 2022
New York City: People gather to protest against the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health case in Manhattan on Friday. The decision has overturned a landmark 50-year-old verdict, erasing the federal right to an abortion. The sweeping ruling is set to vastly change American life, with nearly half the states considered certain or likely to now ban abortion.—AFP
New York City: People gather to protest against the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health case in Manhattan on Friday. The decision has overturned a landmark 50-year-old verdict, erasing the federal right to an abortion. The sweeping ruling is set to vastly change American life, with nearly half the states considered certain or likely to now ban abortion.—AFP

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn a 50-year-old legal precedent recognising a woman’s right to abortion sparked countrywide protests in the United States on Saturday, as chanting, shouting and weeping marchers filled the streets.

While abortion rights demonstrators took to the streets in cities across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, New Mexico and California by Saturday afternoon, more states are expected to join the protest by Sunday.

In Washington, street demonstrations began outside the SC after the decades-old guarantee of abortion access was struck down. “I have as many rights as (a) gun” owner, declared a placard, referring to a recent decision that further relaxes America’s already loose gun control laws. “We won’t go back,” chanted women protesting outside the Supreme Court, telling the judges they would not allow them to reverse their freedom. CNN described Friday’s decision as “seismic ruling” that would “eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion”, adding that the verdict “has roiled the country, fueling protests that began on Friday and were expected to extend throughout the weekend”.

One of the participants in Washington was Carol Foulke, 93, who heard about the repeal at her assisted living home on Friday and told her daughter they needed to join the protest in Washington. She was a family planning social worker for underserved communities before women received the legal protection and said she “knows the impact this repeal will have”.

In New York and Washington, small crowds of anti-abortion activists also came out on the streets, supporting the court’s decision. Police said they arrested at least 20 people in New York. They had not been charged yet. The largest protests were held in Chicago where thousands marched to Grant Park as soon as the court announced its ruling. Police closed multiple streets as more protests were held on Saturday. A large crowd also gathered at Chicago’s Federal Plaza, with some holding signs that read “No abortion bans, not now, not ever!” and “I dream one day women will have the same rights as guns”.

Organisers said Chicago would be the “national centre” for anti-ruling protests as they planned to launch a major campaign for the restoration of abortion rights.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....