Team KCM joined thousands of other New Yorkers to protest the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that suggests Roe v. Wade be overturned.
Demonstrators across the country took to the streets Tuesday afternoon, flocking to their local courthouses and federal buildings to protest the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that suggests Roe v. Wade be overturned. (BTW: Here’s what that could look like.) A few members of the KCM team went to the New York City rally, where thousands of people, many in green as a nod to the “green wave” movement for safe and legal abortion across Latin America, were expressing their outrage, disappointment, and frustration with the Supreme Court’s draft.
Chants of “my body, my choice,” and “hey hey, ho ho, this patriarchy’s got to go!” could be heard from blocks away as thousands of demonstrators arrived at a packed Foley Square in New York’s Financial District. There were protestors of all ages — some as young as two or three, strapped to their parent’s backs, and some as old as 82, who never thought they would “have to do this again.”
NY State Attorney General Letitia James was one of the speakers at the event, and railed against the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, saying to the crowd, “I will not allow Justice Alito or any other judge on the Supreme Court to dictate to me or to you how to use your body! I will not allow Justice Alito to dictate to me my future, my destiny. It is not in the hands of the United States Supreme Court, it’s in our hands!” She then shared her own abortion story with the crowd, which was met with raucous cheers. “I was just elected [to the New York City Council], and I was faced with the decision of whether to have an abortion or not, and I chose to have an abortion,” James said. “I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood, and I make no apologies to anyone.”
James also announced she has proposed a dedicated New York fund to help provide abortions to women who can’t access safe abortions in their own states.
Comedian and activist Amy Schumer also attended the event, and said in a brief speech, “The Supreme Court is going in the wrong direction. Women want more rights, more access to abortion, more freedom, not less. And John Roberts and his court are spitting in our faces right now. He’s all about the integrity of the court, but not about women’s integrity. And I tell jokes, but this court is a joke.”
Many young women and their moms showed up to the rally as well. One woman told us she felt compelled to come to the event not only because she’s had an abortion, but her daughter is 21 “and this is the world she’s in right now. So how could we not be here?”
If you attended any rallies in your area, feel free to tell us about your experience and photos by DMing us @katiecouricmedia. And if you’re looking for more ways to take action at this time, we’ve got a list of places you can donate to support abortion access. And if you want to hear more about this issue, read the review for my podcast on abortion rights.
