US activists rally one year after Supreme Court allowed abortion bans
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[June 24, 2023]
By Julia Harte
(Reuters) - Abortion rights supporters and opponents will hold dueling
rallies around the U.S. on Saturday, the first anniversary of the
Supreme Court's decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that
had legalized the procedure nationwide.
In Washington, speakers from national abortion rights groups including
Women's March and NARAL Pro-Choice America will assemble in Columbus
Circle to celebrate the defeat of some abortion opponents in the 2022
midterm races and rally voters ahead of next year's congressional and
presidential elections.
Across town at the Lincoln Memorial, anti-abortion groups including
Students for Life America are hosting a "National Celebrate Life Day
Rally." Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 Republican presidential
candidate, will be among the speakers.
The June 24, 2022, Supreme Court ruling allowed U.S. states to ban
abortion care for the first time in nearly 50 years. Conservative states
have passed a flood of legislation to restrict the procedure, while
other states have moved to protect abortion access.
Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states in the past
year, even as opinion polls show that a majority of Americans want
abortion legal in all or most cases.
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The issue is expected to remain central in next year's congressional and
presidential races, with activists on both sides using the anniversary
to mobilize their base to get more politically engaged.
Leading reproductive rights groups - EMILYs List, NARAL Pro-Choice
America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund - on Friday announced their
endorsements of Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala
Harris for reelection in 2024.
On Saturday, Harris will give a speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, in
favor of national legislation to protect abortion rights, one week
before a new Republican-backed law takes effect in the state and cuts
the legal window for abortions from 20 to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
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![](../images/062423PIX/news_j31.jpg)
Doctors gather on the stage as abortion
rights supporters wait for North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to
veto the SB20 legislation limiting most abortions to the first
trimester of pregnancy, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. May 13,
2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo
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Democratic U.S. lawmakers proposed a measure on Thursday that would
protect abortion patients and providers from criminalization
nationwide, but its passage is unlikely given the deeply divided
Congress.
On the other side of the fight, some abortion opponents are pushing
for a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Pence, an outspoken abortion opponent, said at a Faith & Freedom
Coalition gathering in Washington on Friday that "every Republican
candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15
weeks as a minimum nationwide standard."
Several of his rivals, including former President Donald Trump and
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have voiced support for abortion
restrictions, without making specific pledges. DeSantis signed a law
in Florida this year banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
About 64% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May said they
were less likely to support a presidential candidate who backed laws
severely restricting abortion, while 36% said they were more likely
to back such a candidate.
Rallies, marches and concerts in favor of reproductive rights are
also scheduled for Saturday in states from Florida to Oregon.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery;
Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Rosalba O'Brien)
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