House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday kicked off the weekend of abortion rights protests, pledging to counter efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“House Democrats are here on the steps of the United States Capitol, across from the Supreme Court, to say to the Supreme Court and to the Senate, hands off women’s reproductive health care,” Pelosi said during an event held on the Capitol steps.
She was joined by Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Judy Chu (Calif.), Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.) and Veronica Escobar (Texas).
Pelosi bashed her Republican colleagues in Congress, accusing them of trying to “shred longstanding precedent and privacy rights.”
“This is a start for this weekend. Across the country, people will be gathering in their communities, and some of them are here today,” she added, naming organizations like the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Catholics for Choice and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
“To the Supreme Court, to the Republicans in Congress, to state governments across the country; we want you to know we fully intend to protect Roe v. Wade and we will be doing it every single day to protect those who seek care and those who provide care,” Pelosi said.
Multiple organizations like the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Women’s March are planning to march to the Supreme Court on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate their support for ensured access to abortions.
Since Politico published the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe, demonstrations have broken out across the country, with the actions of some activists garnering controversy.
Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) called the police after demonstrators wrote an abortions rights message in chalk on the sidewalk in front of her home in Bangor, Maine.
“Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA —–> vote yes, clean up your mess,” the message read, according to authorities. The local police department characterized the message as “not overtly threatening.”
Protests have also taken place outside the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Samuel Alito, all right-wing justices. Republican leadership has accused Democrats and the White House of encouraging illegal activity by not condemning the protests near the justices’ homes.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has called on demonstrators to remain peaceful in their protests. Federal law prohibits “pickets or parades” near the residences of judges if they are being done with “the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer.”
