Thousands of Women's March activists rally in DC in support of abortion rights
WASHINGTON - The Women’s March organization rallying through the nation’s capital Saturday to fight for abortion rights.
This, as dozens of states ban the procedure following the Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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Thousands of people started their march at Franklin Square Saturday morning before ending at LaFayette Square.
The group, with a more aggressive tone than previous marches calling for a "Summer of Rage."
More than eight thousand protesters marching through the streets of DC Saturday aiming to pressure President Joe Biden to declare a national public health emergency in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion.
"The folks on the ground are here ready to meet the moment and the moment is dire," said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, the executive director of the Women’s March.
Their march follows weeks of calls on the president and other lawmakers to protect abortion rights and just a day after the Commander in Chief signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to boost access to abortion pills and protect emergency medical care and family planning services.
"We want to see President Biden working to the extent of his power," said O’Leary Carmona.
"As soon as he’s done everything he can with executive orders, because we understand there are limits to his power and when he reaches those limits and he can’t do anything else from behind his desk, we welcome him out into the streets to a women’s march near him," she continued to say.
Those attending Saturday’s event traveling from across the country to have their voices heard.
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"We actually have about 70 people coming from Colorado and we just wanted to make a stand because Colorado will be one of the islands of reproductive safety in the West so we thought it was important to come out and say it has to be nationwide. We can’t go back," said Clare Langley-Hawthorne.
"A very scary thing just happened and just basically someone stepped on all of our bodily autonomy and that’s not fair. No one asked for this," said Taylor Reynolds.
Pres. Biden signs order on protecting abortion access
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to protect access to abortion as he faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago.
D.C. Police and Secret Service telling FOX5 no arrests were made at the march and protestors remained peaceful.
"I think today did everything it needed to do, we were really happy with the turnout even though there was a lot of rain just lets you know nothing is going to stop women from making their voices heard in this political moment," O’Leary Carmona said.
This was not the first time Women's March helped organize a rally in D.C.
The last time was May 14, for the "Bans Off Our Bodies" rally in support of abortion access and reproductive freedom. That rally, which drew thousands of people to D.C., was planned in response to the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion on abortion rights. The group also helped organize a march in D.C. in 2020 and in 2017 on the day of former President Donald Trump's inauguration.
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The Women’s March organization plans to hold another rally next month at a convention in Houston.