Hundreds of Bay Area residents gathered in front of the Federal Building in San Francisco yesterday to protest the Supreme Courts’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
On Monday, Justice Samuel Alito’s draft of the majority ruling of the Supreme Court on the decision to illegalize abortion was leaked. The draft alluded to the idea that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade in June.
Following the leak, thousands of U.S. citizens have rallied together to change the Supreme Courts’ minds.
Roe v. Wade was a court case in 1973 in which the Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution protects a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion.
If the Supreme Court decides to overturn the Roe v. Wade precedent, individual states would be allowed to decide whether or not to allow abortion. As of right now, 26 states have announced that they would make abortion illegal; however, California is not one of them.
“Yes, we are lucky here in San Francisco, in California, but it should not be about luck,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed during her speech at the protest in San Francisco.
As a result of the leak, nationwide abortion rights protests, such as the one in San Francisco, have increased in number.
The San Francisco protest began with speeches from members of the National Mobilization for Reproductive Justice San Francisco, who emphasized the importance of continuing to protest, no matter the outcome of the vote.
“We’re trying to get folks involved for the day of decision. That’s another day where we will be going out regardless of the decision. Public opinion wins the court cases, so it is important that everybody has the understanding and the knowledge that their voice matters,” said Norma Gallegos, a Reproductive Justice organizer.
Kristina Lee, another event organizer, also discussed her reaction to the leak.
“When we saw that the leak came out, we knew we had to get folks out on the streets, make our voices heard, and make it clear that we’re not going to tolerate losing the right to abortion,” Lee said.
In an interview with Lieutenant Daniel Manning, a police officer observing the protest to ensure everyone’s safety, he explained the typical frequency of protests and how recent events would likely change those numbers.
This isn’t our normal job; it’s a once in a couple of weeks thing. But I would expect more protests in the coming days. — Lieutenant Daniel Manning
“This isn’t our normal job; it’s a once in a couple of week thing. But I would expect more protests in the coming days,” Manning said.
On the conservative side of politics, leaders have been speaking less about the content of the leaked draft and more about the leak itself. Most Republicans feel it is a violation of the Supreme Court’s legitimacy and have attributed this shortcoming to their liberal counterparts.
“Of course, the Democrats are ruining this country,” said Mark Levin, a conservative radio host.
Laura Ingraham, a nightly Fox News Host, also expressed her opinion.
“No matter what you think of this outcome, the leak itself represents a shocking and unprecedented breach of the court’s confidentiality,” Ingraham said.
Despite their opposing views, emotions about the leaked draft run high on both sides of the aisle. But as the details of the leak continue to spread, pro-choice activists will continue to protest to get their voices heard.
