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A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 16 Mei 2022

Abortion rights backers rally in anger over post-Roe future

(AP) — Abortion rights ers carried photographic im-
supporters demonstrating ages of conservative justices’
at hundreds of marches heads on sticks.
and rallies Saturday ex-
pressed their outrage that Teisha Kimmons, who trav-
the Supreme Court ap- eled 80 miles to attend the
pears prepared to scrap Chicago rally, said she fears
the constitutional right to for women in states that are
abortion that has endured ready to ban abortion. She
for nearly a half-century said she might not be alive
and their fear about what today if she had not had a
that could mean for wom- legal abortion when she was
en’s reproductive choices. 15.

Incensed after a leaked draft “I was already starting to self
opinion suggested the court’s harm and I would have rather
conservative majority would died than have a baby,” said
overturn the landmark Roe Kimmons, a massage thera-
v. Wade ruling, activists pist from Rockford, Illinois.
spoke of the need to mobilize
quickly because Republican- At that rally, speaker after
led states are poised to enact speaker said that if abortion
tighter restrictions. is banned that the rights of
immigrants, minorities and
In the nation’s capital, thou- others will also be “gutted,”
sands gathered in drizzly preparing for a state-by-state there were tense confronta- as Amy Eshleman, wife of
weather at the Washington battle over abortion rights. A half-dozen anti-abortion tions between people on op- Chicago Mayor Lori Light-
Monument to listen to fiery demonstrators sent out a posing sides of the issue. foot put it.
speeches before marching to Caitlin Loehr, 34, of Wash- countering message, with
the Supreme Court, which ington, wore a black T-shirt Jonathan Darnel shouting Polls show that most Ameri- “This has never been just
was surrounded by two lay- with an image of the late Su- into a microphone, “Abor- cans want to preserve access about abortion. It’s about
ers of security fences. preme Court Justice Ruth tion is not health care, folks, to abortion — at least in the control,” Eshleman told the
Bader Ginsburg’s “dissent” because pregnancy is not an earlier stages of pregnancy crowd of thousands. “My
The mood was one of anger collar on it and a necklace illness.” — but the Supreme Court marriage is on the menu and
and defiance, three days after that spelled out “vote.” appeared to be poised to let we cannot and will not let
the Senate failed to muster From Pittsburgh to Los An- the states have the final say. that happen.”
enough votes to codify Roe “I think that women should geles, and Nashville, Tennes- If that happens, roughly half
v. Wade. have the right to choose what see, to Lubbock, Texas, tens of states, mostly in the South In New York, thousands of
to do with their bodies and of thousands participated in and Midwest, are expected to people gathered in Brook-
“I can’t believe that at my their lives. And I don’t think events, where chants of “Bans quickly ban abortion. lyn’s courthouse plaza before
age, I’m still having to pro- banning abortion will stop off our bodies!” and “My a march across the Brooklyn
test over this,” said Samantha abortion. It just makes it un- body, my choice!” rang out. The battle was personal for Bridge to lower Manhattan
Rivers, a 64-year-old federal safe and can cost a woman The gatherings were largely some who came out Satur- for another rally.
government employee who is her life,” Loehr said. peaceful, but in some cities day. In Seattle, some protest-

Transgender medication law in Alabama

blocked by judge

der identity. The judge left in rights and an intrusion into cide if she lost access to the
place another part of the law family medical decisions. medications.
that banned gender-affirm- The U.S. Department of Jus- “Enjoining the Act upholds
ing surgeries for transgender tice joined the lawsuit seek- and reaffirms the ‘enduring
minors, which doctors had ing to overturn the law. American tradition’ that par-
testified are not done on mi- ents — not the states or fed-
nors in Alabama. He also left Burke — nominated to the eral courts — play the prima-
in place a provision that re- court by former President ry role in nurturing and car-
quires counselors and other Donald Trump in 2017 — ing for their children,” Burke
school officials to tell parents ruled that Alabama had pro- wrote in the opinion.
(AP) — A federal judge on the first-of-its-kind law as an if a minor discloses that they duced no credible evidence
Friday blocked part of an illegal intrusion into family think they are transgender. to show that transitioning Jeff Walker of Auburn, Ala-
Alabama law that made and medical decisions. Ala- medications are “experimen- bama, told The Associated
it a felony to prescribe bama Gov. Kay Ivey referred A spokesman said Alabama tal.” Presss on Saturday that the
gender-affirming puberty to the ruling as a “temporary Attorney General Steve Mar- ruling “took a lot of weight off
blockers and hormones to legal roadblock.” Alabama’s shall is disappointed in the He added that “the uncon- our shoulders.” The Walker
transgender minors. state attorney general indi- court’s decision “and is al- tradicted record evidence is family is not one of the plain-
cated he will appeal. ready working on filing an that at least twenty-two ma- tiffs in the case but said they
U.S. District Judge Liles appeal in defense of the law.” jor medical associations in had been scrambling to figure
Burke issued a preliminary The Vulnerable Child Com- the United States endorse out how to continue care for
injunction to stop the state passion and Protection Act Four families with transgen- transitioning medications as their 15-year-old daughter,
from enforcing the medica- made it a felony, punishable der children ranging in ages well-established, evidence- Harleigh, and if they needed
tion ban, which took effect by up to 10 years in prison, 12 to 17, had filed a lawsuit based treatments for gen- to move to another state.
May 8, while a lawsuit goes to prescribe or administer challenging the Alabama law der dysphoria in minors.”
forward. The ruling was a gender-affirming medica- as discriminatory, an uncon- He noted testimony from a Harleigh Walker said the de-
victory for families and advo- tion to transgender minors stitutional violation of equal mother who said she feared cision was a “huge stress re-
cacy groups who challenged to help affirm their new gen- protection and free speech her child would commit sui- lief.”