Droves of protesters are descending on the Supreme Court in the wake of a decision on a major abortion case. Justices overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case in a decision released Friday, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after 50 years.
Protesters for and against a federal right to abortion gathered outside the court within moments. Cheers erupted from anti-abortion rights demonstrators and some women were seen crying.
“We won’t go back! We won’t go back!” Pro-abortion-rights demonstrators chanted. “My body, my choice!”
About two miles from the Supreme Court, one protester said they scaled the Frederick Douglass Bridge to call on Congress to protect abortion access under federal law.
They flew a green banner from the top of one of the bridge’s sweeping arches in Southwest D.C. — a city with some of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, waded into the crowd of demonstrators. She told reporters that the decision is a “blessing” and an “answered prayer,” NBC News reported.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 24: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to the media outside the Supreme Court after the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling was issued, which overturns the landmark abortion Roe v. Wade case June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
One pro-abortion-rights demonstrator wearing an American flag mask, bandana and scarf said she saw Greene and got pushed away by bodyguards.
“I was screaming at her to stop being racist,” the woman said. “Look at what the Supreme Court has done. They are ruling in favor of the Republicans. That’s what it is.”
“This is going to affect the Hispanic community, the African-American community, because women, we are more vulnerable. We don’t have insurance,” she continued.
“For 50 years, one-third of my generation has been slaughtered due to the violence of abortion,” another protester said. “Well, the survivors have risen up and we will not stand for the dismemberment, and poisoning, subjugation of the most at-risk among us any longer.”
Pro-abortion-rights demonstrators expressed dismay. Some were carrying banners or cloth in green, a color used to show support for abortion rights.
Alya Madhani, a teenager wearing a green armband given out by an abortion-rights supporter, said she was in D.C. on vacation but wanted to see the demonstrations.
“It’s so crazy for me personally. I’m adopted. So, knowing other mothers out there can’t make a choice… it’s pretty hard,” she said while fighting tears. “I wanted to yell.”
But she said she’s hopeful, too: “It’s really empowering, though, to see younger people on the front there.”
“I feel betrayed, and I feel lost,” 19-year-old Skye, who came to D.C. from Virginia to demonstrate, told NBC. “Hopefully, in the future, we can have some progress and not just be moving backward.”
“I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t think I had to be here because it’s settled law. I hope you know that, Clarence Thomas, and I hope you know that, Alito, and the rest of the justices that voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. I am very disappointed, it’s not going to stop abortions, it’s just going to make them unsafe,” Cathy from Fairfax, Virginia, said.
The decision means states can bar people from terminating pregnancies, and many states had “trigger laws” in place to stop abortions if Roe were overturned.
Eight-foot-high fencing is keeping demonstrators off the Supreme Court plaza, which is typically open to the public. Smaller fences were seen around the court in recent weeks.
Security Heightened at Supreme Court, Justices’ Homes
The U.S. Department of Homeland security warned of a “heightened threat environment” in its June 7 National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin, saying that the abortion case was one of several current events that could inspire violence.
DHS says it is coordinating with the FBI and other agencies to monitor potential threats.
The Supreme Court has been surrounded by 8-foot-tall fencing since shortly after a draft opinion on the case was leaked on May 2, drawing pro- and anti-abortion rights groups to demonstrate.
The draft suggested justices were prepared to overturn the landmark 1973 decision affirming the right to an abortion in the United States.
There’s also concern for security at Supreme Court justices’ homes.
The House approved Senate-passed legislation that would provide security to family members of Supreme Court justices, sending the bill to President Joe Biden nearly a week after an armed man was arrested outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house.
Protesters have marched regularly near their homes in the D.C. area. Those demonstrations have been peaceful but spurred the Republican governors of Maryland and Virginia to call for enhanced security. Fears escalated after the arrest at Kavanaugh’s home.
U.S. Marshals have been providing “round-the-clock” security at Supreme Court justices’ homes, CNBC reported last month.
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