Around four dozen people gathered during a rally for reproductive rights at Harvey Milk Promenade Park in Long Beach on Saturday, May 8.
“I’ve been talking about this longer than many of you have been alive,” Naida Tushnet of the local political action committee Women of Long Beach told the crowd.
According to a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court published by Politico, the majority of Supreme Court justices will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark case that ensured a woman’s right to an abortion in 1973.
Attendees at the Saturday protest held signs that read “Abortion Rights = Womens Rights,” “My Body, My Choice,” and “Killing Roe Kills People.”
“I’m here, just like all of you, because we’re really angry about the draft that we heard that came out that was leaked from the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Terrie Cervas, secretary general of GABRIELA USA, a nonprofit organization that fights for the rights of Filipino women.
As reported by Politico, the ruling will not be official until the decision is published, which is expected to happen in the next two months. If the Supreme Court’s current decision is finalized, each state will have the power to decide whether abortion will be legal for its residents.
Thirteen states have “trigger bans,” meaning they enacted abortion bans after Roe v. Wade in 1973 that would automatically go into effect if Roe v. Wade is struck down.
“For many of us working class women abortion is not a choice, its an economic necessity,” Cervas said.
According to a study published by the American Journal of Public Health, women who were denied abortion were found to be less likely to be employed full time and more likely to be on public assistance than women who had abortions.
“In no way do we believe that this is right,” said Jennifer Chaves of the student organization La FUERZA.
Chants from the crowd included “What do we want? Abortion. When do we want it? Now.” and “When human rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
The rally was concluded with a short walk around the promenade in downtown Long Beach.
