Supporters and opponents of abortion rights clashed in front of the US Supreme Court building. politician reported an initial opinion draft that would effectively kill Roe vs. Wade Y Planned Parenthood vs. Casey.
Police officers were already present and barricades blocked the steps of the Supreme Court building before protesters began showing up Monday night. Many students from the universities that dot the nation’s capital descended on the candlelight complex in somber moods.
“I feel like this is, in a way, a funeral,” said Sabrina, who declined to give a last name. “Something that is really representative of what we’ve been going through for the last two years.”
Lauren G, 20, of Pittsburgh and a George Washington University student, said she cried and knew she had to go to court after reading the politician article and said she would try to be active not only in the state Senate race, but also in the gubernatorial race.
“Our state legislature is red,” he said, even though Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is a Democrat who has blocked restrictions on abortion. “So, he just made me want to go out and talk to people and put people forward, not just for the Senate election but for the governorship as well.”
Lauren G said it was heartwarming to see people turn out after the draft was leaked.
“I’m definitely angry, but I think what I feel the most right now is that I’m heartbroken because abortion really is life-saving health care,” she said. “And the fact that someone threatens that is disgusting and this decision does not bode well judicially either. It is a complete affront to everything the Supreme Court operates.”
At the same time, some anti-abortion protesters, including some from the nearby Catholic University of America, showed up to celebrate and clashed with abortion rights supporters.
Randall Terry, who leads the right-wing Operation Rescue operation that has in the past blocked abortion clinics, led a march with anti-abortion activists while playing a ukulele to celebrate the upcoming death of Roe v Wade.
“All abortionists here in the United States should be tried for the murder of innocent babies,” he said. When asked if women seeking abortions should be punished, she said that would be left to local lawmakers.
“They’re props, for sure,” he said. “Something so they have to be arrested, fingerprinted, their faces on paper.”
Abortion rights supporters significantly outnumbered anti-abortion protesters, and the various groups led conflicting chants.
The leaked decision will force both parties to have to recalibrate their strategy ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Washington PostThe /ABC News poll released on Sunday showed that 52 percent of voters disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance. But the poll also showed that voter support for Republicans in the 2022 House midterms eroded completely, with Democrats and the GOP roughly tied at 46 and 45 percent, respectively.
That same poll showed that Republicans were at a significant disadvantage when it came to abortion. When asked which party voters trust would do a better job on abortion, 47 percent of voters chose Democrats compared to 37 percent of voters who chose Republicans.
“This draft ruling will put us on a media roller coaster ride for months to come and ignite further division across America,” said a Republican strategist. the independent in the background to speak frankly.
“Most of the GOP will remain on the offensive on inflation, crime and immigration, while the Democrats will try to use it to steer female voters away from the rising tide coming in November,” they said.
Republicans only need to change one seat to win a majority in the Senate and 12 seats in the House of Representatives to win a majority in the respective chambers. Sarah Godlewski, a Wisconsin state treasurer who is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, told reporters she was in town for an event with EMILY’s List, a political group that supports Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights.
“I was leaving a dinner where we were talking about the importance of electing pro-choice Democrat women,” she said. Ms. Godlewski said the leaked opinion was a “nightmare to me” because Wisconsin has had a total abortion ban since 1849 that would go into effect if Roe is overturned
“Honestly, this is a much bigger thing, like what are they going to come up with next,” he said. “And we’ve had 50 years to codify this into law. And we’ve had the House, the Senate, the White House and we haven’t done this yet and now we have to wait for this last hour to do anything.”
Earlier this year, the Senate failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which passed the House last year. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted against the legislation, while Senators Dianne Feinstein of California, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico did not vote. Luján was recovering from a stroke.
Ms. Godlewski blamed Mr. Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s support for maintaining the 60-vote threshold known as filibuster for preventing the passage of legislation that would protect access to abortion.
“We absolutely need to get rid of the obstructionism,” he said. “You know, one thing I hear from Wisconsinites is why can’t we do anything?”
Sabrina, the protester, said they got involved and organized, but also said they didn’t know what else they could do.
“I feel like I don’t know what else I can do that I’ve been doing all this time,” Sabrina said. At the same time, she told Sabrina that she would get involved in the election.
“This is a blow, but it’s not going to stop me,” he said.