Thousands of pro-choice US citizens marched through the pouring rain and risked arrest to protest the Supreme Court reversal of Roe v Wade last month on Saturday. They marched unwaveringly towards the White House, and created a voice for themselves.
Roe v. Wade has been in effect since January 22, 1973, which stated that women in the United States had a fundamental right to choose to have an abortion. However, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to many people’s shock. This action undeniably led many protests, and even one seen last Saturday.
Protesters marched to the White House, with some tying themselves to the gates outside, chanting “we won’t go back.” Organizers said there were an estimated 10,000 people gathered from across the US.
Among the protesters, Lauran Pierce, a lawyer from Dallas traveled 1,300 miles to attend this demonstration. “There’s nothing, to me, more worth fighting for than this cause – our fundamental right to have bodily autonomy,” she said. “If that means taking up space and getting arrested then I think it’s worth it.”
Pierce’s home state, Texas, is among the 10 US states where abortion has already been prohibited. At least 12 other states are anticipated to follow. An expected 40 million women of reproductive age are expected to lose their rights in abortion in the coming weeks.
Pierce, like many others whom gathered at the White House, expressed frustration with President Joe Biden and his administration for not doing more to protect abortion rights.
In response to pressure from progressives, Biden issued an executive order on Friday, directing his health department to safegaurd patient privacy, access to medication abortion, and emergency contaception. But the president’s authority is constrained. He cannot force Congress to pass legislation, and he cannot undo the decision of the Supreme Court, now a 6-3 conservative supermajority.
“We know there are limits to his authority, but we want him to push that authority to its limit,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March. “We’re calling on President Biden to continue to take steps to protect abortion nationally,” she stated. “And if he can’t do anything more from behind his desk he should get out into the streets.”
However, to many pro-choice advocates, Biden’s administartion has failed to meet the event following a historic reversal in women’s rights. “This is the first time ever a constitutional right has been taken away,” said Helen Miller, 56, from Virginia. “We’re here for our daughters, our children, our lives.”
Roe v. Wade has been in effect since January 22, 1973, which stated that women in the United States had a fundamental right to choose to have an abortion. However, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to many people’s shock. This action undeniably led many protests, and even one seen last Saturday.
Protesters marched to the White House, with some tying themselves to the gates outside, chanting “we won’t go back.” Organizers said there were an estimated 10,000 people gathered from across the US.
Among the protesters, Lauran Pierce, a lawyer from Dallas traveled 1,300 miles to attend this demonstration. “There’s nothing, to me, more worth fighting for than this cause – our fundamental right to have bodily autonomy,” she said. “If that means taking up space and getting arrested then I think it’s worth it.”
Pierce’s home state, Texas, is among the 10 US states where abortion has already been prohibited. At least 12 other states are anticipated to follow. An expected 40 million women of reproductive age are expected to lose their rights in abortion in the coming weeks.
Pierce, like many others whom gathered at the White House, expressed frustration with President Joe Biden and his administration for not doing more to protect abortion rights.
In response to pressure from progressives, Biden issued an executive order on Friday, directing his health department to safegaurd patient privacy, access to medication abortion, and emergency contaception. But the president’s authority is constrained. He cannot force Congress to pass legislation, and he cannot undo the decision of the Supreme Court, now a 6-3 conservative supermajority.
“We know there are limits to his authority, but we want him to push that authority to its limit,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March. “We’re calling on President Biden to continue to take steps to protect abortion nationally,” she stated. “And if he can’t do anything more from behind his desk he should get out into the streets.”
However, to many pro-choice advocates, Biden’s administartion has failed to meet the event following a historic reversal in women’s rights. “This is the first time ever a constitutional right has been taken away,” said Helen Miller, 56, from Virginia. “We’re here for our daughters, our children, our lives.”
