Reactions came fast and furious Friday after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing a constitutional right to an abortion.
Anger and dismay erupted first outside the Supreme Court moments after the decision was announced.
Quickly, it spread eastward as devastated abortion-rights protesters across the country railed against the conservative justices who wiped away a half-century of precedent and made access to abortions all but impossible in many states.
Protests played out on the plaza in front of the federal building in downtown Chicago, outside the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, and across from the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison, where thousands of outraged protesters carried signs and chanted “My body! My choice!” In Flint, Michigan, hundreds blocked the sidewalks in front of the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office.
“I’m expecting at least tens of thousands of people in outpourings across the country tonight,” said Texas organizer Coco Das, a member of the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group, who added described the anger felt in Texas as “visceral.”
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At the Arizona Capitol Friday night, SWAT team members fired tear gas to chase demonstrators from the building as lawmakers finishing their 2022 session huddled inside, The Associated Press reports. The Senate evacuated briefly to the basement, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada.