Hundreds Turn Up At Alabama Capitol To Protest Abortion Law
Hundreds of protesters turned up at the Alabama Capitol to protest the highly restrictive abortion law passed by the state recently, according to AL.com.
People could be seen chanting, carrying placards opposing Alabama’s new law, and cheering for speakers who spoke at the march criticizing the move. The march was organized by different pro-choice organizations joining hands with Alabama residents to take down the highly restrictive abortion bill which makes it a felony for doctors to perform abortions. Under the new law, women’s autonomy over their own bodies is not only curtailed, but it makes abortion a criminal affair even if necessitated through acts of rape or incest.
Megan Skipper of Montgomery, one of the organizers, said that the march was organized through the help of Facebook, where the date and time of the protests were first announced. Skipper said that she was overwhelmed by the number of people who had turned up for the march.
“We never planned for it to be this big,” Skipper said.
“But I think this size shows us that people are mad. And we are the majority. And that abortion rights are human rights and that’s what we want for the state of Alabama.”
Last week, Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill which has taken the nation by storm. Under the new law, performing the act of abortion has been criminalized. Although not effective immediately, the law has drawn a significant amount of opposition from activists around the world. Critics of the bill argue that the government has no right to reverse the Roe vs. Wade ruling which made abortion a human right for Americans. The supporters of the law, however, see it as the first step in a lengthy battle to re-criminalize abortion in the United States.
Hundreds of demonstrators march to the Alabama Capitol to protest the state's newly approved abortion ban, chanting "my body, my choice!" and "vote them out!" https://t.co/FoAt6MzO8l
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 20, 2019
Speakers representing various strands of the pro-choice spectrum, from the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, Yellowhammer Fund, and other organizations who denounced the law, spoke at the event attended by hundreds of protesters. Slogans like “my body, my choice!” and “vote them out!” rang through the air. According to the Associated Press, a rape victim also spoke at the protests. The new law would also make it mandatory for rape victims to carry children to term, and although such victims could look to courts in hopes of reprieve in individual cases, the fact is that it would make the whole affair a lot more arduous than it already is.
Other states in the nation have also passed similar bills, but Alabama’s bill remains the most restrictive.
