Protesters gather around the country to rally against recent abortion bills
More than 500 abortion ban protests sprouted up throughout the United States on Tuesday, as demonstrators decried the recent wave of restrictive abortion legislation.
In the last week, the Republican governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri signed into law several bills effectively banning abortions between six and eight weeks. The measures are considered part of a larger plan to challenge the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.
Tuesday's largest protest was held on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke at the event, reportedly going after Republican lawmakers who have "distanced themselves" from Alabama's law, while also voting for judges who have criticized Roe v. Wade. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) spoke as well, opening up to the crowd about her personal experience.
At the #StopTheBans rally, Rep. Jackie Speier says she is not ashamed of her second-trimester abortion, that she had for medical reasons, and criticized male state lawmakers for thinking "it's ok to send women to prison or give them the death penalty for having an abortion." pic.twitter.com/mJLaNBFW8t
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 21, 2019
Several Democratic presidential candidates also showed up to the event, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
"This is something that President Trump has unleashed,” 2020 candidate @SenGillibrand says at a protest aimed at stopping anti-abortion laws.
“He apparently wants to have a war on women in America, and if this is a war that he wants to have, he will have it, and he will lose it” pic.twitter.com/nyqJMDvOcW— CNN (@CNN) May 21, 2019
But the rallies didn't stop in the capital. They've taken place all over the country, including in St. Louis and Atlanta. Protesters also marched on the Alabama statehouse on Monday.