Supreme Court

Protests Planned Across Chicago Area After Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

At 5:30 p.m., abortion rights activists with more than three dozen groups - including the ACLU of Illinois, the Chicago Abortion Fund, Equality Illinois and more - are set to rally at Chicago's Federal Plaza

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Protests and demonstrations are planned across the Chicago area following the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade Friday.

The outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of U.S. states.

While Illinois has strong "pro-reproductive rights laws" in place, the state is expecting to see impacts from the major ruling.

 Police in the nation’s capital brought in additional officers and mobilized in anticipation of growing protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court following the ruling.

President Joe Biden, addressing the nation after the ruling, urged Americans keep protests peaceful.

"I call on everyone no matter how deeply they care about this decision to keep all protests peaceful - peaceful, peaceful, peaceful," he said. "No intimidation. Violence is never acceptable. Threats and intimidation are not speech."

In Chicago, several organizations in favor of the ruling are holding a press conference Friday afternoon in the South Loop.

At the Hilton Garden Inn, speakers with the March for Life Chicago, the Illinois Right to Life, the Thomas More Society, the Embassy Church Network and more are set to speak about the court's decision.

At 5:30 p.m., abortion rights activists with more than three dozen groups - including the ACLU of Illinois, the Chicago Abortion Fund, Equality Illinois and more - are set to rally at Chicago's Federal Plaza, at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets.

"While the specifics of the court's ruling will be dissected over the coming hours and days, this much is clear: The court has shown its contempt for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support legal abortion and Roe v. Wade," Gina Rozman-Wendle, president of Chicago National Organization for Women (NOW) and activist with Chicago For Abortion Rights, said in a statement. "The court has confirmed people's fears that the majority of its justices, rather than following sound judicial principles of the right to privacy and bodily autonomy versus heavy-handed government control, have chosen to side with the most extreme anti-abortion zealots."

At the same time, abortion rights supporters are set to gather in Naperville to voice "anger over the Supreme Court's" decision.

The group will include representatives from Illinois NOW, the National Council of Jewish Women, Chicago North Shore, the American Association of University Women, Naperville and the League of Women Voters Naperville.

It is slated to begin at the corner of Washington and Aurora Avenue.

There are also several local rallied with Planned Parenthood Illinois Action scheduled for Friday evening, including events in Waukegan, Aurora and Homewood.

The Supreme Court's ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step.

It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls.

Alito, in the final opinion issued Friday, wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong the day they were decided and must be overturned.

Authority to regulate abortion rests with the political branches, not the courts, Alito wrote.

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