Supreme Court

‘Bans Off Our Bodies' Abortion Rights March Planned in DC

Abortion rights activists are set to rally and march on the Supreme Court building

NBC Universal, Inc.

An abortion rights demonstration with an estimated 17,000 people is planned for Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a permit approved by federal officials says.

The Bans Off Our Bodies demonstration, organized in part by the Women's March, is set to take place Saturday, May 14.

“May 14 is going to be a day of action all across the country,” Rachel O’Leary Carmona, the Women’s March executive director, recently told News4. 

Reproductive rights and women's groups are mobilizing in the wake of a leaked draft opinion that indicates Supreme Court justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that affirmed the right to abortion access.

A bill seeking to enshrine abortion access into federal law failed to pass a Senate vote to overcome a filibuster Wednesday afternoon.

Participants are expected to meet on the grounds of the Washington Monument at noon for a rally and then march to the Supreme Court at 2 p.m., a permit issued by the National Park Service says.

The event is organized by Women’s March, Ultraviolet, MoveOn.org and Planned Parenthood, the permit says.

Fencing has surrounded the Supreme Court since last week, and there will be a large police presence.

The first Women’s March brought scores of demonstrators to D.C. on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after President Donald Trump took office.

The National Park Service regularly approves permits for a range of First Amendment events in D.C.

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