SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Activists take part in "The Bans Off Our Bodies" march for abortion access, in Washington, DC on May 14, 2022. Thousands of people took part in the national day of action calling for safe and legal access to abortion. The nationwide demonstrations are a response to leaked draft opinion showing the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority is considering overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling guaranteeing abortion access. (Photo: Jose Luis Magana / AFP via Getty Images)
'It's a Fight They'll Get': Defenders of Abortion Rights March Nationwide
One speaker at the Ban Off Our Bodies rally in the nation's capital said that Saturday was just "day one of a 'Summer of Rage' where we will be ungovernable. Ungovernable!"
May 15, 2022
Marches and rallies took place in cities across the United States on Saturday as defenders of reproductive rights vowed to defend the country against a looming decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that would eviscerate protections enshrined in Roe v Wade for nearly half a century.
Under the banner of "Bans Off Our Bodies," the demonstrations took place in cities large and small but with a shared message.
"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," said Rachel Carmona, executive director of the Women's March, one of the groups who organized the day of action along with Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, MoveOn, and others.
Carmona, who participated in the major rally that took place in Washington, D.C., said women and their allies nationwide were marching nationwide "to see an end to the attacks on our bodies," and vowed, "You can expect for women to be completely ungovernable until this government starts to work for us."
In Chicago, were thousands also marched, Marj Haleerin of the executive committee of the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, said, "Right now, a minority of lawmakers in Washington are taking away our voice. So we're here, thousands strong, to use our voice and stand up for what we believe in."
Betty Linville, a 68-year-old living in Los Angeles, attended the rally in that city and said she remembers a time before Roe.
"I have memories of women and men fighting for abortion rights 50 years ago," Linville told the Los Angeles Times. She explained to the paper her worries that the "incredible freedom" of legal abortion could soon be lost, especially for women who lack the means to travel from a state where it is banned to one where it is allowed. "What is next?" she said. "What else is going to be taken away?"
Organizers said Saturday's rallies should be seen as only the beginning of a "Summer of Rage" that will continue through the expected official ruling from the Court in June and into the mid-term elections.
"Today is day one of an uprising to protect abortion rights," said one speaker at the D.C. rally. "It is day one of our feminist future. And it is day one of a 'Summer of Rage' where we will be ungovernable. Ungovernable!"
Check out just some of the demonstrations that took place Saturday.
Washington, D.C.:
Columbia, South Carolina:
Chicago:
Portland, Maine:
Boston:
Cleveland:
Austin:
Los Angeles:
Back in New York City--where thousands marched across the Brooklyn Bridge shouting "Hands off our Bodies!" and "We won't go back!"--Gilda Perkin, an 88-year-old artist who spoke to the New York Daily News said she also recognized the historic significance of the fight ahead.
"I've been at this a long time, there's no going back," Perkin said. "I'm passionate about this issue and I won't stop. Women need to be strong and speak. We can't expect anyone else to fight for us so we have to do it ourselves."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Marches and rallies took place in cities across the United States on Saturday as defenders of reproductive rights vowed to defend the country against a looming decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that would eviscerate protections enshrined in Roe v Wade for nearly half a century.
Under the banner of "Bans Off Our Bodies," the demonstrations took place in cities large and small but with a shared message.
"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," said Rachel Carmona, executive director of the Women's March, one of the groups who organized the day of action along with Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, MoveOn, and others.
Carmona, who participated in the major rally that took place in Washington, D.C., said women and their allies nationwide were marching nationwide "to see an end to the attacks on our bodies," and vowed, "You can expect for women to be completely ungovernable until this government starts to work for us."
In Chicago, were thousands also marched, Marj Haleerin of the executive committee of the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, said, "Right now, a minority of lawmakers in Washington are taking away our voice. So we're here, thousands strong, to use our voice and stand up for what we believe in."
Betty Linville, a 68-year-old living in Los Angeles, attended the rally in that city and said she remembers a time before Roe.
"I have memories of women and men fighting for abortion rights 50 years ago," Linville told the Los Angeles Times. She explained to the paper her worries that the "incredible freedom" of legal abortion could soon be lost, especially for women who lack the means to travel from a state where it is banned to one where it is allowed. "What is next?" she said. "What else is going to be taken away?"
Organizers said Saturday's rallies should be seen as only the beginning of a "Summer of Rage" that will continue through the expected official ruling from the Court in June and into the mid-term elections.
"Today is day one of an uprising to protect abortion rights," said one speaker at the D.C. rally. "It is day one of our feminist future. And it is day one of a 'Summer of Rage' where we will be ungovernable. Ungovernable!"
Check out just some of the demonstrations that took place Saturday.
Washington, D.C.:
Columbia, South Carolina:
Chicago:
Portland, Maine:
Boston:
Cleveland:
Austin:
Los Angeles:
Back in New York City--where thousands marched across the Brooklyn Bridge shouting "Hands off our Bodies!" and "We won't go back!"--Gilda Perkin, an 88-year-old artist who spoke to the New York Daily News said she also recognized the historic significance of the fight ahead.
"I've been at this a long time, there's no going back," Perkin said. "I'm passionate about this issue and I won't stop. Women need to be strong and speak. We can't expect anyone else to fight for us so we have to do it ourselves."
Marches and rallies took place in cities across the United States on Saturday as defenders of reproductive rights vowed to defend the country against a looming decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that would eviscerate protections enshrined in Roe v Wade for nearly half a century.
Under the banner of "Bans Off Our Bodies," the demonstrations took place in cities large and small but with a shared message.
"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," said Rachel Carmona, executive director of the Women's March, one of the groups who organized the day of action along with Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, MoveOn, and others.
Carmona, who participated in the major rally that took place in Washington, D.C., said women and their allies nationwide were marching nationwide "to see an end to the attacks on our bodies," and vowed, "You can expect for women to be completely ungovernable until this government starts to work for us."
In Chicago, were thousands also marched, Marj Haleerin of the executive committee of the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, said, "Right now, a minority of lawmakers in Washington are taking away our voice. So we're here, thousands strong, to use our voice and stand up for what we believe in."
Betty Linville, a 68-year-old living in Los Angeles, attended the rally in that city and said she remembers a time before Roe.
"I have memories of women and men fighting for abortion rights 50 years ago," Linville told the Los Angeles Times. She explained to the paper her worries that the "incredible freedom" of legal abortion could soon be lost, especially for women who lack the means to travel from a state where it is banned to one where it is allowed. "What is next?" she said. "What else is going to be taken away?"
Organizers said Saturday's rallies should be seen as only the beginning of a "Summer of Rage" that will continue through the expected official ruling from the Court in June and into the mid-term elections.
"Today is day one of an uprising to protect abortion rights," said one speaker at the D.C. rally. "It is day one of our feminist future. And it is day one of a 'Summer of Rage' where we will be ungovernable. Ungovernable!"
Check out just some of the demonstrations that took place Saturday.
Washington, D.C.:
Columbia, South Carolina:
Chicago:
Portland, Maine:
Boston:
Cleveland:
Austin:
Los Angeles:
Back in New York City--where thousands marched across the Brooklyn Bridge shouting "Hands off our Bodies!" and "We won't go back!"--Gilda Perkin, an 88-year-old artist who spoke to the New York Daily News said she also recognized the historic significance of the fight ahead.
"I've been at this a long time, there's no going back," Perkin said. "I'm passionate about this issue and I won't stop. Women need to be strong and speak. We can't expect anyone else to fight for us so we have to do it ourselves."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.