Pro-choice protesters hit the streets of Philly

Philly is one of several U.S. cities to see pro-choice #stopthebans protests this week.

On Tuesday, advocates in support of abortion rights protested new restrictions on abortion laws passed by Republicans in eight U.S. states. Religious conservatives hope the move will land the issue in front of the Supreme Court to ultimately overturn 1973 Roe v. Wade.

Philadelphia was one of the many cities listed on stopabortionbans.org, which is a partnership between civil rights organizations, including Planned Parenthood who assisted with planning the Philly protests. The website helps pro-choice advocates find local #stopthebans protests.

According to the its creators, the website was developed to fight “a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access. Organizers say the ban largely affects women of color and low-income women. 

“We will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women. Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions best left to women, their families, and their doctors,” organizers say on the site.

During the Philly rally, protestors displayed signs such as, “Not the church, not the state, we’ll decide our bodies fate!” and “Abortion is healthcare, Abortion is a right.” The protesters were heard chanting “My body, my choice” during the protest.

The movement has influenced Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to speak on the issues. He recently made a statement on Twitter saying he was “appalled” by the bans, and claiming, “I’ll veto any anti-choice bill that lands on my desk. I won’t let our commonwealth go backward on reproductive rights.”