Abortion rights opponents, supporters clash outside Supreme Court after bombshell draft leak

Record ID: 1671354

  • Title: Abortion rights opponents, supporters clash outside Supreme Court after bombshell draft leak
  • Date: 3rd May 2022
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (MAY 3, 2022) (REUTERS) ABORTION RIGHTS OPPONENTS CHANTING "ABORTION IS VIOLENCE" AND HOLDING SIGNS READING: (English) "PROTECTION AT CONCEPTION" OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT WIDE OF MEDIA AND DEMONSTRATORS OUTSIDE THE SUPREME COURT ABORTION RIGHTS SUPPORTERS (MAN IN PINK SHIRT) HOLDING HAND OVER MEGAPHONE USED BY ABORTION RIGHTS OPPONENT SURROUNDED BY DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING SIGNS ABORTION RIGHTS SUPPORTERS BEHIND METAL BARRIER CHANTING: (English): "ABORTION SAVES LIVES" ABORTION RIGHTS OPPONENTS INCLUDING WOMAN WEARING SWEATSHIRT READING "PRO-LIFE FEMINIST" CHANTING: (English): "THE HOTTIES WILL DISMANTLE ROE" WHITE FLASH DEMONSTRATOR HOLDING SIGN READING: (English) "DOCTORS NOT DOCTRINE" IN FRONT OF DEMONSTRATOR CHANTING: "HELL NO - WE DON"T NEED ROE." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABORTION RIGHTS SUPPORTER CHELSEA WHITE SAYING: "I think it will be overturned and then it's going to become a war on women's rights again, something that our mothers and grandfathers, grandmothers already did before. And I can't believe that they now have to live through this again and that there might be back-alley abortions again, because the abortions, it's never going to be banned. It's never going to go away. All they're doing now is sacrificing women's health and the medical issue." DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING "ABORTION IS VIOLENCE. ABORTION IS OPPRESSION" IN FRONT OF BANNER READING: (English) "PROTECTING LIFE IN LAW" DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING SIGNS READING: (English) "THOUGH SHALL NOT STEAL MY CIVIL RIGHTS" AND CATHOLICS SUPPORT ABORTION ACCESS" BACK VIEW OF DEMONSTRATORS WAVING SIGNS AND CHANTING "HEY HEY! HO HO! ROE V. WADE HAS GOT TO GO" AND "PRO-CHOICE IS A LIE. BABIES NEVER CHOSE TO DIE" DEMONSTRATORS KNEELING AND HOLDING SIGN READING: (English) "PRAY TO END ABORTION" DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING SIGNS READING: (English) "KEEP YOUR POLICIES OFF MY BODY" AND "ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE" WIDE OF DEMONSTRATORS IN FRONT OF WHITE HOUSE INCLUDING DEMONSTRATOR HOLDING BLUE SIGN WITH PROFANITY READING: "FUCKING NERDS" DEMONSTRATOR HOLDING PROFANE SIGN READING"FUCKING NERDS" NEAR DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING: "PRO-CHOICE IS A LIE. BABIES NEVER CHOOSE TO DIE" DEMONSTRATOR BEATING DRUM AND OTHERS CHANTING "PRO-CHOICE IS A LIE. BABIES NEVER CHOOSE TO DIE"
  • Embargoed: 17th May 2022 16:29
  • Keywords: Roe v. Wade Supreme Court abortion abortion rights anti-abortion demonstration life religious rights
  • Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001550303052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Dozens of demonstrators converged on the Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 3) to express their support and opposition to a bombshell draft decision indicating the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
    Chanting "Pro-life is a lie. Babies never choose to die" and beating drums, opponents of abortion rights outnumbered advocates.
    Democrats at the state and federal level and abortion rights activists looked for some way to head off the sweeping social change long sought by and Republicans and religious conservatives.
    Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the draft opinion disclosed late on Monday (May 2). The Supreme Court declined to comment.
    "Abortion saves lives," abortion rights protesters chanted as they rallied outside the court in the pre-dawn hours against the decision, which would be a triumph for Republicans who spent decades building the court's current 6-3 conservative majority.
    Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics and has been for nearly a half-century. A 2021 Pew Research Center poll found that 59% of U.S. adults believed it should be legal in all or most cases, while 39% thought it should be illegal in most or all cases.
    The abortion ruling, due by the end of June, would be the court's biggest since former President Donald Trump succeeded in naming three conservative justices to the court - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
    Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday said the Supreme Court will investigate the leak of a draft decision - which he confirmed as authentic - indicating that a majority of the nine justices are set to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
    Roberts said in a news release issued by the court that the draft opinion, dated from February, is authentic. He directed the court's marshal to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.
    (Production: Julio Cesar-Chavez and Deborah Gembara)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register