A draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion, leaked to Politico on Monday, suggests justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which constitutionally protects peoples’ abortion rights.
By Tuesday morning, national calls for action spread online for pro-choice rallies to occur at 5 p.m. local time. Rally organizers in Anchorage chose the corner of Minnesota Drive and Northern Lights Boulevard, where roughly 200 people convened during rush hour Tuesday evening.
“Abortion is still safe and legal,” said Nora Morse, the political and field director at Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “ Roe v. Wade has not been overturned. You can still access care — that's really important for people to know.”
Nearby, Stand Up Alaska executive director Erin Jackson-Hill held a cardboard cutout of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
“I see a lot of really, really angry people," she said. "I see a lot of people who feel disenfranchised. I see a lot of people who feel like we're taking a huge step backward in time. I see a lot of people that are scared, frankly.”
Jackson-Hill urged Murkowski to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, federal legislation that would protect people's right to access abortion care.
“I don't say that you have to agree with abortion. But I think most people don't agree with forced birth, which is what we're talking about here," said Jackson-Hill. "I don't have children. If I had been forced to have children, I don't think that I would be here.”
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