Thousands of women gathered in front of the White House before the largest of the marches in the American capital, and a crowd of more than a thousand people demonstrated in front of the Texas Capitol building against the recently introduced strict abortion restrictions, the AP and Reuters reported.
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Protesters in Washington marched on the U.S. Supreme Court building on Monday. Among other things, the judges will decide on a case in Mississippi that could reverse the groundbreaking 1973 verdict in the Roe versus Wade case. The decision then de facto allowed abortions throughout the United States until the fetus was able to survive outside the womb.
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Proponents of the right to abortion now fear that the Supreme Court, which has a majority of six to three conservatives, could overturn this precedent.
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The case of Roe versus Wade was also mentioned by protesters gathered in front of the White House – some of them wearing “1973” T-shirts. Others held banners with slogans such as “Watch your own womb” or “Abortion is a personal choice, not a legal debate.” In front of the courthouse, they chanted “My body, my choice.”
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Nineteen-year-old student Elaine Baijal told the AP that her mother and grandmother took part in abortion legalization marches in the 1970s. “It is sad that we must fight for our rights 40 years later. But it is a tradition that I want to continue, “added Baijalová.
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According to the organizers, the march in Washington is one of about 660 similar protests in the whole country. In Texas, which according to Reuters is the scene of a nationwide fight against abortion, in addition to Austin, there will be marches in other cities.
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In Texas, on September 1, a law came into force that forbids performing almost all abortions from about the sixth week of pregnancy, when the heartbeat of the embryo can be detected. At the moment when it becomes possible to observe the pulse of the embryo, most women still have no idea that she is pregnant, AP recalls.
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The Texas law inspired a number of participants and women who spoke to the protesters. “Times are dark – but that’s why we’re here. (…) The fight is now at your doorstep, wherever you are, ”said Alexis McGill Johnson, director of Planned Parenthood. According to her, Texas women have had to spend long hours traveling abroad to begin their pregnancies since the beginning of September.
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Brigid Leahy of Planned Parenthood, Illinois, said some Texans headed to her state, which is at least six hours away from the border – from more than 640 kilometers to the border.
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“Trying to figure out how to pay for a ticket, gasoline or train ticket, they may need a hotel or food. (…) Must arrange time off work, babysitting. It can be a real fight, “said Leahy.
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