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Within hours of a leak which suggested a majority of US Supreme Court justices are poised to overturn a decision that legalised abortion nationwide, hundreds of protesters had gathered in Washington DC.
The crowd, calling on Democrats in Congress to take action, formed after Politico’s publication of an initial draft opinion from the court that would overturn the landmark Roe v Wade case law.
The protesters were decrying a possible ruling that would take away what they see as a fundamental right.
“The first line in the draft is that this is a moral issue,” Annie McDonnell, 19, a student at George Washington University, said, referring to the draft opinion.
“If it’s a moral issue, you shouldn’t be depriving us of our choice.”
“Justices get out of my vagina,” one sign held aloft read.
“I love someone who had an abortion,” read another.
The crowd was interspersed with a smaller number of anti-abortion activists, including some with drums and guitars chanting, “Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Roe v. Wade has got to go.”
“Abortion is healthcare,” abortion rights supporters chanted back. Chants of “Do something Democrats,” also broke out.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in US politics and has been for nearly half a century.
A 2021 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 59% of US adults believed it should be legal in all or most cases, while 39% thought it should be illegal in most or all cases.
Supreme Court watchers have blasted the leak itself as a rare, if not unprecedented, occurrence.
The widely followed SCOTUSblog wrote on its Twitter account: “It’s impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the justices and staff.”
Moira Flath, 22, said she was “horrified” when she got a notification of the news around 9.15pm.
“I think a part of me has to be cautiously optimistic, like seeing people out here who are willing to get up at 10, 11 at night and do this gives me hope for my generation, but it’s going to be a very uphill battle,” the University of Delaware student said.
Her roommate Erin Sheehan, 21, said: “I think everyone should be able to fight for this and no one, especially no men, should tell us what we can or cannot do with our bodies.”
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