The fight for abortion rights hits the streets of the United States this Saturday (2), with hundreds of demonstrations planned during the “Women’s March,” which was called to quell a strong conservative onslaught.
A September 1, Texas law prohibiting abortion went into effect, sparking a court battle and Congressional backlash, but some street protests have yet to be filed.
Two days before hearings in the Supreme Court of Justice, which will mediate the dispute, will resume, nearly 200 organizations have called for abortion rights advocates to protest across the country.
The main event will take place in Washington DC. In the nation’s capital, thousands are expected to take part in a march that will take the country’s main court, which recognized abortion rights in a ruling nearly 50 years ago. In the case Roe vs. Wade.
Now, the Supreme Court, whose structure was drastically changed by former President Donald Trump’s appointment of conservative judges, is set to change the criteria.
The court refused to intervene on an urgent basis to block Texas law and that Mississippi state could take advantage of restrictive review to change its jurisprudence.
The capitals of these two conservative states, Austin and Jackson, respectively, as well as 600 other cities are expected to host demonstrations as well. Organizers believe they will mobilize 240,000 people across the country.
“We are fighting so that abortion is not only legal, but affordable and free of stigma,” a statement issued by the protest organization said. Activists want Congress to enshrine abortion rights in federal law to protect them from potential overturns in the Supreme Court.
A bill to that effect was passed last week in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, but it has no chance of winning in the Senate, where Republicans can block the text.
– “Patriarchal Will” –
The first “Women’s March” took place in 2017, shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, and brought together millions of Republican opponents who called her a sexist.
The latter march had fewer participants, as one of their promoters was accused of anti-Semitism.
“This year we are united,” promises a statement released by the organization, a coalition that brings together everything from small feminist groups to large organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, that promote family planning.
“We return to the streets for the first time in the Biden era because the changes to the Oval Office (of the White House) have not ended the political, perverse and patriarchal desire to control our bodies”, the note adds, referring to 2020 Joe Biden’s victory, which hasn’t changed the dynamics in the States.
Rather, prompted by the admission of three Trump-appointed justices to the Supreme Court, local conservative lawmakers have launched a real offensive against abortion rights: As of January 1, 19 states have passed 63 restrictive laws.
If the Supreme Court overturns the decision in the Rowe v. Wade case, all states would be free to prohibit or allow abortions. As a result, 36 million women in 26 states, or nearly half of all American women of childbearing age, will lose the right to have an abortion, according to a report released by Planned Parenthood.
