WASHINGTON, May 3 - Protesters rallied under the slogan "off our bodies" in cities across the United States on Tuesday, demanding abortion rights to be protected after the leak, by Politico, of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Thousands of people turned out for an abortion-rights rally in New York City, one of the largest demonstrations, months before voters go to the polls in congressional midterm elections.
Protests were held in U.S. cities coast to coast, including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle, as the national Women's March organization urged supporters to bring families and signs to "courthouses and federal buildings everywhere" promoting the social media hashtag #BansOffOurBodies."
The Supreme Court itself became the epicenter for some of the earliest protests on both sides of the issue after the surprise publication of the 98-page draft ruling late on Monday by the news outlet Politico.
By late afternoon, a larger and growing assembly of well over 1,000 abortion-rights protesters held sway, with about two dozen anti-abortion activists relegated to the sidelines, one of them yelling, "Abortion is murder" through a megaphone.
The protests in Washington were a prelude to rallies planned by abortion rights advocates in cities across the country.
About 300 people gathered in downtown Atlanta just outside the city's Centennial Olympic Park on Tuesday evening, their chants in support of abortion rights drowned out periodically by the din of honking horns from passing motorists.
In the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, some protesters carried coat hangers, a grim reference to "back-alley" abortions that experts say could become common again in states where abortion is outlawed.
Addressing abortion-rights demonstrators in Seattle, Governor Jay Inslee declared, "Washington state is a pro-choice state and we're going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state. That's why we're here today."
Perhaps the day's largest rally emerged in New York City, where at least 2,000 abortion-rights protesters assembled in lower Manhattan's Foley Square, waving signs with such slogans as "Bans Off Our Bodies" and "Abortion is Freedom."
One of the more colorful acts of anti-abortion protest earlier in the day emerged in San Francisco, where a man calling himself the "Pro-Life Spiderman" scaled a downtown skyscraper while posting video footage of his climb on Instagram. Local news media reported that police took the man into custody.
U.S. President, Joe Biden, on Tuesday appealed to voters to protect abortion rights by backing candidates who support them in November's elections
Kamala Harris, the first woman to serve as vice president, said opponents of Roe were seeking to take away women's rights to make decisions about their own bodies.
"The rights of all Americans are at risk," she said. "If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have."
Kamala Harris: HOW DARE THEY speach
