Planned Parenthood’s ‘Bans off Our Bodies’ rally held in New York City

Protesters gathered Saturday for Planned Parenthood’s “Bans off Our Bodies” rally in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

News 12 Staff

May 14, 2022, 5:13 PM

Updated 945 days ago

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Protesters gathered Saturday for Planned Parenthood’s “Bans off Our Bodies” rally in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
It’s part of a nationwide response by Planned Parenthood to the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
Advocates say they came together to fight to maintain the nearly 50-year-old ruling that guarantees a woman’s right to have an abortion.
They marched from Brooklyn to the finish line at Foley Square with the determination to preserve abortion rights.
While Saturday was the "National Day of Action" with similar rallies across the country, those in support of reproductive rights said it was just the beginning.
Many came with friends while some other came with their children.
The demonstrators crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, but even before they got there, local grassroots organizations, such as Black Womens March, organized a smaller rally that happened earlier in Brooklyn.
Demonstrators said the decision could mean the difference between life and death for what advocate Nimi Penmatsa called already disenfranchised communities.
"People that have the means to travel are going to go to states and get an abortion, right? But what about everybody else? What about the larger community? Black communities, Latina, AAPI, Indigenous communities, where are they going to go?" Penmatsa said.
According to Planned Parenthood, nearly every one in four women will have an abortion in their lifetime. They say that safe access to abortions is currently legal in every state nationwide.
Abortion justice advocate Christine Nicols survived an abusive relationship, and as much as she has always wanted a child, she attributes her abortion to saving her life.
"I think it would’ve been a poor situation for that child, so I couldn’t do it to the child, and more importantly I couldn’t do it to me. I deserve better. And I don’t believe it’s about the fetus. I believe it’s about me," Nicols said.
Elected officials said that if Roe v. Wade gets overturned, they predict the courts' next move will outlaw contraception and same-sex marriage. They said the key to winning the fight is to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.