Following the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal nationally in 1973, hundreds of people, including pro-life activists and pro-abortion supporters, flocked to the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
The decision leaves abortion in the states’ hands.
The protests outside the court on Friday afternoon seemed calm, despite the heightened emotions and some offensive pro-abortion slogans. Authorities were getting ready in case there was trouble Friday night.
Protesters were kept away from the court by a number of fences and obstacles, as well as uniformed police officers. Some pro-abortion and pro-life activists gathered in the street in front of the court, which was closed to traffic, and conversed with one another on a sweltering July day. The media cameras were ready to record any dramatic events.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” 24-year-old Anna Lulis from Moneta, Virginia, told CNA of the lives she believes the decision will save. “I think this is a huge step forward for human rights.”
When the court issued its historic 6-3 ruling, more than 200 pro-life students, according to Lulis, who works with Students for Life of America, were outside the court. However, as the day went on, pro-abortion activists progressively constituted a sizable portion of the throng.
Women don’t need Roe, read a sign that Lulis was carrying. Abortion activists were using megaphones to lead various chants as she spoke. Among the refrains: “Legal abortion on demand right f*ing now!” and “f* you, SCOTUS,” using the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States.
Colorful signs with colorful language flooded the street. “F*** SCOTUS we’re doing it anyway” one pro-abortion poster read. “You will never control my body,” said another. Some women protesters who were angered by Friday’s decision shook the court’s hangers, referring to the belief that overturning Roe will bring a return to illegal abortions in some parts of the country.
Abortion advocates raised their middle fingers in unison towards the courthouse at one point. Others took a more cautious approach.
When a discussion between a pro-life activist and an abortion supporter turned tense, Pierrerasha Goodwin, 22, stepped in on behalf of the activist. Goodwin, who supports abortion, is a native of Chicago. She assisted her 15-year-old sister in getting an abortion, which was her first exposure to abortion. She claimed that following that encounter, she felt inspired to study more about abortion after witnessing the national debate on the subject.
“If you’re going to stand for everyone else’s rights, and making sure that everyone is treated equal, you have to treat people with respect,” Goodwin said. “In doing that, fostering those important conversations, you get to actually listen to somebody and say, ‘OK, I may disagree with you, but at least now I know why people think like that.’”
Another pro-abortion advocate who spoke with CNA was Joseph Little, a 32-year-old resident of Washington, D.C. Little’s placard, which read “Forced Birth is Enslavement,” was infuriated by the Supreme Court’s decision.
Little discussed the “need” for women to have the option to select an abortion, likening Black captivity to the practice.
Edwin Garcia-Arzola, 22, of Lumberton, North Carolina, represented the opposing viewpoint and was sporting a T-shirt that read “Young pro-life Democrat.” He declared that he was “proud” of the court’s ruling as a Catholic.
He said that he is an affiliated of Democrats for Life and said, “For us, and especially for pro-life Democrats, it is very important for us because now we can take this battle to all of our states.”
Kara Zupkus, 25, a spokesperson for the conservative organization Young America’s Foundation, was another pro-life advocate in the audience. To celebrate the court’s ruling, members of the organization were present.
“We work with high school and college students to bring pro-life speakers to their campuses and host activism initiatives on campus,” Zupkas said. “To finally see our hard work pay off …. It has been just amazing.”