Protesters assembled outside the U.S. Supreme Court and took to the streets across the U.S. on Friday to protest a historic ruling from the Supreme Court that ended the constitutional right to abortion, Reuters reports.
The Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. in 1973.
The court's ruling gives individual states the power to set their own abortion laws without concern of running afoul of Roe, which had permitted abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
Twenty six states, mainly in the south and the midwest United States, are expected to ban or severely restrict abortions while other states, like New York and California, have actually expanded reproductive rights for women.
The court's ruling flies in the face of popular opinion and recent polling shows 85 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances.
Some protesters outside the Supreme Court pointed out that the ruling would not stop abortions, but they would be more difficult and more dangerous to access for women in states where abortion rights will be more restrictive, many of whom will have to travel out of state to receive medical attention.
"Abortion is not going to stop, it's just going to be more dangerous and more difficult for women of color, mostly to cross state lines," said one protester.
"Think about health care that this verdict goes down because a lot of places that will give abortion was also taking care of women's everyday health care that they don't have it anymore," said another protester.
The court's decision to overturn Roe had been leaked to the news media in May, adding to the fury felt by many protesters.
"You know, I'm just absolutely enraged by everything that's going on right now. The fact that we knew that this decision was going to be made before it was actually made and now, we still have to show up and act like -- I don't know -- like the world is normal," said one protester.
Anti-abortion activists who have been lobbying against the constitutional right to an abortion for 50 year heralded the day as a cause for celebration. Some even rallied outside the high court to voice their support.
"I was crying tears of joy when I found out. This has been by far the best news of my life. It's just that there is now hope for the women and children who have been hurt and killed by abortion," said one anti-abortion activist.
"I'm glad that I can be on the second kind of generation that can push this in the 50 states now," said another activist.
U.S. President Joe Biden said the ruling puts women across the country in danger but asked for those who gather in protest to remain peaceful.
