Protests continued in cities across the country Saturday after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States.
As states began to enact abortion bans and clinics stopped offering the procedure, large crowds gathered in cities including New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, some jubilant, others dismayed at the decision that stripped away women’s constitutional right to abortion.
Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue.
Key highlights:
- President Joe Biden called it a “sad day” for the U.S. and said it would be up to voters in November to select candidates who would protect a host of rights — not just abortion but also marriage equality and the right to contraception.
- Centrist Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, suggested they were misled by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two key votes in the decision to overturn Roe.
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Rhode Island officer arrested in alleged assault of Senate opponent at abortion rally
An off-duty Rhode Island police officer who was running for state Senate was arrested on an assault charge after allegedly attacking his female opponent during an abortion rights protest Friday night.
Providence police patrolman Jeann Lugo, 35, was arrested on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct, state police said Saturday. Lugo turned himself in, was arraigned and released, it said.
Jennifer Rourke, who is running for the state’s 29th District, said she had finished speaking at a rally outside the state house in Providence on Friday when she was attacked by Lugo.
Rep. Miller thanks Trump for ‘victory for white life,’ campaign says she misread remarks
U.S. Rep. Mary Miller immediately drew fierce backlash on social media and elsewhere at a Saturday night rally with former President Donald Trump when she credited him for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade calling it a “victory for white life.”
But Miller’s campaign said Saturday night that the congresswoman misread prepared remarks at a rally that Trump held for her in Mendon, Illinois.
“You can clearly see she is reading off a piece of paper, she meant to say ‘right to life,’” Miller spokesman Isaiah Wartman said.
Miller, R-Illinois, later tweeted: “I will always defend the RIGHT TO LIFE!”
Fire at Colorado Christian pregnancy services center investigated as arson
A fire at a Longmont, Colorado, Christian organization that provides pregnancy services early Saturday is being investigated as arson and the FBI has joined the probe, officials said.
The fire shortly after 3 a.m. at Life Choices, which calls itself a Christ-centered ministry, caused fire and heavy smoke damage, Longmont Public Safety said in a statement.
Photos posted by the department showed a spray-painted message: “if abortions aren’t safe neither are you.”
Life Choices did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its website advertises support for people facing unplanned pregnancies.
The public safety department said Saturday that the FBI has joined the investigation. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday night.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed the right to abortion in the U.S. Abortion is legal in Colorado. State law legalized it in 1967, and earlier this year Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a law that codified the right to have an abortion in the state.
Sen. Cornyn's tweet on Plessy v. Ferguson goes viral
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, sent Twitter atwitter Saturday when he responded to a tweet by former President Barack Obama about Roe v. Wade.
Obama wrote that the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade was “attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans” and reversing nearly 50 years of precedent.
Cornyn responded: "Now do Plessy vs Ferguson/Brown vs Board of Education."
Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court decision that overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, which determined that racial segregation laws were not unconstitutional. Plessy v. Ferguson had been the law of the land for 58 years.
Many on Twitter took Cornyn's response to mean he supported throwing out Brown vs. Board of Education, but in a followup tweet, Cornyn clarified that he meant to highlight the value of overruling some Supreme Court precedents.
"Thank goodness some SCOTUS precedents are overruled," he tweeted.
Protests in Los Angeles underway
Protests in downtown Los Angeles are underway with some people briefly marching onto a freeway offramp.
Others marched to Pershing Square and back to City Hall, passing a flatbed truck carrying a local pop band that performed a reproductive rights song.
Among the crowd was Mehar Bhardwaj, 25, who said she was raped as a younger woman and wants to help ensure victims have access to all types of health care.
“It’s important women who go through something like that have access to abortion,” the Los Angeles resident said.
Her boyfriend, Frank Peletz, 23, agreed.
“If people are going to have abortions, it’s important they be safe,” said Peletz, who also lives in Los Angeles.
New Jersey man offers free accommodations to women traveling to seek abortions
A New Jersey man whose family runs a motel business is offering free rooms to women traveling to the state for abortions.
Brian Arya, 34, who has more than 925,000 followers on TikTok, posted a video on Friday after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“It is still legal to get an abortion in New Jersey,” he wrote in the video. “If you live in a state where you have lost that right and need to cross our state lines to obtain an abortion, a free room for you to continue your journey.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law in January that “codifies constitutional right to freedom of reproductive choice.”
“In New Jersey, women will always have full autonomy over their own bodies and the right to make their own medical decisions,” Murphy said in a statement Friday.
Two arrested for allegedly throwing paint near Supreme Court
Two people were arrested Saturday near the Supreme Court on suspicion of destroying property after paint was thrown over the fence by the court building, U.S. Capitol Police tweeted.
Like many U.S. cities, Washington has seen two days of mass protests after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Saturday's crowd included abortion rights supporters chanting, “Women’s rights are human rights,” and anti-abortion activists countering with, “Abortion is racist” and “Abortion is oppression.” A simultaneous demonstration protested the rise of anti-Asian violence in the U.S.
Planned Parenthood to kickoff NYC Pride March
Planned Parenthood will be the first group to walk in the New York City Pride March on Sunday.
The event's organizer, Heritage of Pride, announced Planned Parenthood's featured role in the parade in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to roll back federal abortion rights.
"Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision overturning nearly five decades of protections and reproductive freedom is devastating," the group said in a statement. "This dangerous decision puts millions in harm’s way, gives government control over our individual freedom to choose, and sets a disturbing precedent that puts many other constitutional rights and freedoms in jeopardy."
In a concurring opinion on Friday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court “reconsider” previous landmark rulings, including decisions that enshrined the constitutional right to same-sex marriage and same-sex intimacy.
“Pride was born of protest and will always be a space to fight injustice and discrimination," Heritage of Pride said. "Join us as we advocate for bodily autonomy at this year’s NYC Pride March."
