A protest will take place today, Friday, June 24, at 6 p.m. in front of the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade and the right to an abortion.
The “Bans Off Our Bodies” day of action is in support of abortion access and reproductive freedom, organized by Long Beach Resister Sisters and LB/OC Women Rising.
“The more people that are able to show up and have our voices heard, to let our government know that this is not okay, and that we do not agree with this far-right Supreme Court decision—I think showing solidarity is the most important thing that California can do today,” said LB/OC Women Rising organizer Lisa Del Sesto.
“How I woke up this morning, it was one of the least wonderful ways of waking up, to hear that half the population just got their rights torn away from them,” Del Sesto said. “Abortion rights are human rights. Abortion is healthcare, and to take that away from someone is to take away their bodily autonomy.”
A tentative list of speakers includes State Senator Lena Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, Councilmember Suzie Price, Councilmember Mary Zendejas and Representative Alan Lowenthal.
“The SCOTUS decision today is beyond devastating for women and pregnant people in our country,” Senator Lena Gonzalez wrote in a statement on Twitter. “It is deeply saddening and infuriating to see our nation moving backwards in the year 2022, 50 years after settled law, now stripping away the fundamental rights of reproductive freedom for so many.”
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia wrote on Twitter, “This is a dark and horrific moment for our country. We cannot lose hope and we must fight back with everything we have.”
Long Beach has shown out in force during previous marches for reproductive rights. Hundreds marched for reproductive rights on Oct. 2, 2021, just a month after Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 8, a restrictive law that prohibits abortions after six weeks—before many women know they are pregnant—and created financial incentives to turn in people who acted in support of these abortions.
When the Supreme Court’s draft decision on Roe V. Wade was leaked by Politico, nearly a hundred people gathered in front of the courthouse holding signs that said “Abortion is Healthcare,” “No More Wire Hangers Ever,” and “Abort the Court.”
“I am here today because I’m mad as hell, I’m shaking, I’m so mad,” said Jaqui Viale of Long Beach Resister Sisters during a May 3 protest. “Because if you have a daughter today, […] if you have a niece, a granddaughter, a neighbor, they are going to grow up in a world today where they do not have control over whether they give birth […] The government will have control of their will.”
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles has been working with the State of California, Los Angeles County and the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach and West Hollywood to prepare for this court decision and its impacts, according to a statement from the organization.
“Make no mistake: Planned Parenthood Los Angeles health centers remain open, abortion is still legal in Los Angeles and California, and we will continue to fight to ensure everyone has access to care in Los Angeles, no matter what,” Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles said in a statement.
Those who attend the protest are encouraged to bring handmade signs and continue to wear their masks. The organizers will also have poster boards and markers for attendees to create their own signs.
The Long Beach Police Department has been notified of the protest. A spokesperson for the department said, “With any protest or First Amendment expression, we are going to have officers at that event […] we do everything we can to facilitate these activities.”
