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
Reproductive rights advocates rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2022 to protest the reversal of Roe v. Wade. (Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Andalou Agency via Getty Images)
'We Won't Go Back!': Rapid-Response Protests Across US After Roe Reversal
"If there's one thing we know," said one campaigner, "it's that no ruling, law, or decision is unchangeable. The rules are determined by who holds the power. So now we have to build the power to fight back."
Jun 24, 2022
People and advocacy groups across the nation rushed to voice outrage and organize rapid-response demonstrations Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority voided half a century of reproductive rights by reversing the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
"The SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets!"
Protesters immediately descended upon the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a 6-3 decision declaring that "the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion... and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Demonstrators chanted slogans including "We won't go back!" and "My body, my choice!" as they rallied against the court's right-wing majority. One activist held a sign defiantly proclaiming, "I will aid and abet abortion," a reference to laws in states including Texas that outlaw the medical procedure and empower vigilantes to collect bounties on people seek one and those who help them.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addressed demonstrators, stressing that "we've gotta strap in, this is a generational fight."
Advocacy groups and activists around the nation prepared to kick off that fight with localized demonstrations across the country on Friday.
The "We Won't Go Back" coalition's website includes a map to locate a planned demonstration in your area or to create your own event.
"We must organize," reads the call to action, "to sound an undeniable alarm to emboldened local lawmakers that they cannot further erode an already insufficient right to abortion and sexual and reproductive healthcare for so many."
Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, vowed to fight the "outrageous and dangerous ruling."
"We are the majority," she said. "And Republicans packed the courts to accomplish through the courts what voters have repeatedly rejected at the ballot box. We will hold every Republican accountable for overturning Roe and further eviscerating abortion access."
She added: "We have one message today for every Republican who has pushed these draconian policies for years and who attempts to put abortion bans into effect in the states: We'll see you at the ballot box."
Democratic Socialists of America, many of whose chapters announced Friday rallies, tweeted that "the SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets! We call on DSA chapters, members, and electeds to mobilize now against this violent attack on abortion rights. Free abortion on demand and without apology!"
"This barbaric and undemocratic reversal cannot stand unchallenged," East Bay DSA--which will rally at San Francisco City Hall at 5:00 pm--tweeted.
The National Mobilization for Reproductive Justice--which is also staging a 5:00 pm protest in San Francisco, at the old Federal Building--tweeted in anticipation of the ruling that "we need solidarity now more than ever as SCOTUS erodes more rights with each decision."
Students for a Democratic Society chapters rushed to organize emergency demonstrations in cities including Denver, Tampa, and Tallahassee.
Indivisible announced it was co-hosting a next-steps "conversation" with the legal advocacy group People's Parity Project, Stand Up America, and Take Back the Court at 1:00 pm EST.
"If there's one thing we know--if there's one thing today shows--it's that no ruling, law, or decision is unchangeable. The rules are determined by who holds the power. So now we have to build the power to fight back," Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg said in a statement.
Others noted that state legislatures are now the front lines in the fight for reproductive rights. More than half of all U.S. states are expected to respond to Friday's ruling by enacting total abortion bans, including 13 states with so-called "trigger bans" that automatically outlawed abortion when Roe was overturned.
"In the wake of today's decision, state legislatures are now the main battleground for abortion rights in America," tweeted Forward Majority. "If you care about reproductive rights, you need to care about state legislative power."
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.
alexandria ocasio-cortezus supreme courtdemocratic socialists of americaroe v. wadereproductive rightspeople power
People and advocacy groups across the nation rushed to voice outrage and organize rapid-response demonstrations Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority voided half a century of reproductive rights by reversing the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
"The SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets!"
Protesters immediately descended upon the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a 6-3 decision declaring that "the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion... and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Demonstrators chanted slogans including "We won't go back!" and "My body, my choice!" as they rallied against the court's right-wing majority. One activist held a sign defiantly proclaiming, "I will aid and abet abortion," a reference to laws in states including Texas that outlaw the medical procedure and empower vigilantes to collect bounties on people seek one and those who help them.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addressed demonstrators, stressing that "we've gotta strap in, this is a generational fight."
Advocacy groups and activists around the nation prepared to kick off that fight with localized demonstrations across the country on Friday.
The "We Won't Go Back" coalition's website includes a map to locate a planned demonstration in your area or to create your own event.
"We must organize," reads the call to action, "to sound an undeniable alarm to emboldened local lawmakers that they cannot further erode an already insufficient right to abortion and sexual and reproductive healthcare for so many."
Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, vowed to fight the "outrageous and dangerous ruling."
"We are the majority," she said. "And Republicans packed the courts to accomplish through the courts what voters have repeatedly rejected at the ballot box. We will hold every Republican accountable for overturning Roe and further eviscerating abortion access."
She added: "We have one message today for every Republican who has pushed these draconian policies for years and who attempts to put abortion bans into effect in the states: We'll see you at the ballot box."
Democratic Socialists of America, many of whose chapters announced Friday rallies, tweeted that "the SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets! We call on DSA chapters, members, and electeds to mobilize now against this violent attack on abortion rights. Free abortion on demand and without apology!"
"This barbaric and undemocratic reversal cannot stand unchallenged," East Bay DSA--which will rally at San Francisco City Hall at 5:00 pm--tweeted.
The National Mobilization for Reproductive Justice--which is also staging a 5:00 pm protest in San Francisco, at the old Federal Building--tweeted in anticipation of the ruling that "we need solidarity now more than ever as SCOTUS erodes more rights with each decision."
Students for a Democratic Society chapters rushed to organize emergency demonstrations in cities including Denver, Tampa, and Tallahassee.
Indivisible announced it was co-hosting a next-steps "conversation" with the legal advocacy group People's Parity Project, Stand Up America, and Take Back the Court at 1:00 pm EST.
"If there's one thing we know--if there's one thing today shows--it's that no ruling, law, or decision is unchangeable. The rules are determined by who holds the power. So now we have to build the power to fight back," Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg said in a statement.
Others noted that state legislatures are now the front lines in the fight for reproductive rights. More than half of all U.S. states are expected to respond to Friday's ruling by enacting total abortion bans, including 13 states with so-called "trigger bans" that automatically outlawed abortion when Roe was overturned.
"In the wake of today's decision, state legislatures are now the main battleground for abortion rights in America," tweeted Forward Majority. "If you care about reproductive rights, you need to care about state legislative power."
People and advocacy groups across the nation rushed to voice outrage and organize rapid-response demonstrations Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority voided half a century of reproductive rights by reversing the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
"The SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets!"
Protesters immediately descended upon the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a 6-3 decision declaring that "the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion... and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Demonstrators chanted slogans including "We won't go back!" and "My body, my choice!" as they rallied against the court's right-wing majority. One activist held a sign defiantly proclaiming, "I will aid and abet abortion," a reference to laws in states including Texas that outlaw the medical procedure and empower vigilantes to collect bounties on people seek one and those who help them.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addressed demonstrators, stressing that "we've gotta strap in, this is a generational fight."
Advocacy groups and activists around the nation prepared to kick off that fight with localized demonstrations across the country on Friday.
The "We Won't Go Back" coalition's website includes a map to locate a planned demonstration in your area or to create your own event.
"We must organize," reads the call to action, "to sound an undeniable alarm to emboldened local lawmakers that they cannot further erode an already insufficient right to abortion and sexual and reproductive healthcare for so many."
Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, vowed to fight the "outrageous and dangerous ruling."
"We are the majority," she said. "And Republicans packed the courts to accomplish through the courts what voters have repeatedly rejected at the ballot box. We will hold every Republican accountable for overturning Roe and further eviscerating abortion access."
She added: "We have one message today for every Republican who has pushed these draconian policies for years and who attempts to put abortion bans into effect in the states: We'll see you at the ballot box."
Democratic Socialists of America, many of whose chapters announced Friday rallies, tweeted that "the SCOTUS decision is class warfare--time to hit the streets! We call on DSA chapters, members, and electeds to mobilize now against this violent attack on abortion rights. Free abortion on demand and without apology!"
"This barbaric and undemocratic reversal cannot stand unchallenged," East Bay DSA--which will rally at San Francisco City Hall at 5:00 pm--tweeted.
The National Mobilization for Reproductive Justice--which is also staging a 5:00 pm protest in San Francisco, at the old Federal Building--tweeted in anticipation of the ruling that "we need solidarity now more than ever as SCOTUS erodes more rights with each decision."
Students for a Democratic Society chapters rushed to organize emergency demonstrations in cities including Denver, Tampa, and Tallahassee.
Indivisible announced it was co-hosting a next-steps "conversation" with the legal advocacy group People's Parity Project, Stand Up America, and Take Back the Court at 1:00 pm EST.
"If there's one thing we know--if there's one thing today shows--it's that no ruling, law, or decision is unchangeable. The rules are determined by who holds the power. So now we have to build the power to fight back," Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg said in a statement.
Others noted that state legislatures are now the front lines in the fight for reproductive rights. More than half of all U.S. states are expected to respond to Friday's ruling by enacting total abortion bans, including 13 states with so-called "trigger bans" that automatically outlawed abortion when Roe was overturned.
"In the wake of today's decision, state legislatures are now the main battleground for abortion rights in America," tweeted Forward Majority. "If you care about reproductive rights, you need to care about state legislative power."
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.