RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond-area residents made their voices heard in regards to a leaked Supreme Court opinion revealing their intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating protection for legal abortions in the United States.
Two weeks after the SCOTUS opinion was leaked, advocates for abortion access gathered in Monroe Park in Richmond and heard remarks from speakers, including U.S. Representative Donald McEachin, who represents much of Central and Eastern Virginia.
The demonstrators then made their way from the park to Capitol Square, where the gates were closed.
This is not the first reproductive rights demonstration that has taken place in the city since the decision to overturn the landmark ruling was leaked. On May 3, another protest drew hundreds to Capitol Square to voice their opposition to the opinion.
A few days later, on May 9, students at Midlothian High School in Chesterfield County staged a walkout in support of reproductive rights.
In Northern Virginia, groups of demonstrators surrounded the home of justice Samuel Alito, prompting Governor Glenn Youngkin to ask the Fairfax County Police Department to increase security at the justices’ homes.
Youngkin, who called the leak “fundamentally wrong,” became the first Virginia governor to march with pro-life demonstrators in the Virginia March for Life, along with Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears. Youngkin has not stated whether he plans to advocate for a ban on abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned.
