WASHINGTON — At a Saturday march rife with profanity, vulgarity, and references to women’s reproductive organs, thousands of pro-abortion rights protestors assembled in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The protestors gathered by the Washington Monument for a rally before marching to the Supreme Court in response to the leak of a draft opinion showing that the Supreme Court had voted to strike down the landmark decision.
The draft, which is not final, says Roe v. Wade was egregiously wrong: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Many of the protestors carried signs drawing on the demonstration’s theme, “Bans off our bodies,” accompanied by some reference to abortions or women’s reproductive organs. Many of these signs contained some form of vulgarity. Women’s March and Planned Parenthood helped organize the event.
“Keep your filthy laws off my silky drawers,” one sign photographed by The Daily Wire said. “Motherhood is a choice not a decision by the state,” said another.
Another sign leaning against the fencing around the Supreme Court read merely, “I dissent.”
“Pitch in!” read another, depicting the conservative justices in trash cans. “Put trash in its place.”
The unprecedented leak has sent shockwaves throughout Washington, with many commentators noting that a draft decision has never been publicly released in the modern history of the court.
Chief Justice John Roberts quickly released a statement following the leak, confirming that the draft document was genuine but emphasizing that it did not represent the Supreme Court’s final decision.
“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce — permanent employees and law clerks alike — intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law,” the chief justice said.
“This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,” he added, noting that he has “directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”
(Photo by The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan)
One young woman who said she is a student from Seattle, Washington, told The Daily Wire that she was “protesting to keep abortions” safe and to “federally protect” Roe v. Wade. She wants to “keep rights” for herself and her friends, saying, “I know people who have almost died from getting unsafe abortions.”
“I’m not sure,” she said, asked if a mother should be able to abort her baby close to 9 months. “If that’s what she needs that should be ok.”
This girl I spoke with at SCOTUS is very well versed in pro abortion talking points but hadn’t at all considered where she draws the line. “I’m not sure,” she said, asked if a mother should be able to abort her baby close to 9 months. “If that’s what she needs that should be ok.” pic.twitter.com/lC6aCTKPRj
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 15, 2022
Another protestor from the Party for Socialism and Liberation said she hoped to make friends with other pro-abortion protestors.
“We also feel that the Democrats are not doing the job that they have been put into office for,” she said. “They’ve had chances to codify abortion into law. We just want to let people know that there’s another option.”
This protestor at The Women’s March is with the party of socialism and liberation pic.twitter.com/UuiXSaLQ5r
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 14, 2022
“We have to see an end to the attacks on our bodies,” Rachel O’Leary Carmon, executive director of the Women’s March, told The Washington Post. “You can expect for women to be completely ungovernable until this government starts to work for us.”
The Daily Wire observed a few different small groups of pro-life advocates counter-protesting at the event. One man carried a sign that said “Jesus Saves” and stood on the street corner calling out, “I’m so glad your mother didn’t abort you!” to the pro-abortion rights protestors walking by.
His overtures were met with criticism and rebukes from passersby.
“That was her decision, you dumb f***,” one man, who appeared to be blind, responded.