Today, thousands of people across the country are marching in support of abortion rights and safe access. #StopTheBans rallies, as they’re being called on social media, are largely in response to numerous states restricting abortion access. NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Women’s March, and the ACLU are some of the biggest sponsors of these marches.
"We'll be joining marches from coast to coast in today's national day of action," the ACLU said in a statement. "Politicians, take notice: If you come for our reproductive freedom, you'll have to get through ALL of us."
The main rally will begin at noon local time in Washington, D.C., in front of the Supreme Court. Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen and NARAL President Ilyse Hogue are expected to attend. Across the nation, however, NARAL reports that about 450 are scheduled. You can check out the #StopTheBans site to see if a protest is local to you.
As a quick review, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Ohio have recently approved legislation that is incredibly restrictive. While the details vary by state, the legislations are essentially bans. Their purpose is to limit reproductive health and freedom for women, nonbinary people, and anyone who can become pregnant. Without a doubt, these extreme restrictions disproportionately impact people of color, low-income people, and people with disabilities, as well.
In the long term, it’s safe to assume that supporters of these legislations hope to see these cases at the Supreme Court. Why? Attempts to weaken (or even reverse) federal protections offered in Roe v. Wade. And with Trump’s picks for the court, a lot of people are concerned at how that sort of challenge would play out.
This is another reason it’s important to look at abortion access as a nationwide issue, even if your specific state hasn’t (yet) been impacted.
“We uphold reproductive freedom not just in Washington State but nationwide,”said executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, Tiffany Hankins.