Pro-abortion rallies were held in downtown Dallas this weekend on Friday and Saturday, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Handed down in 1973, the nearly 50-year-old legal precedent set by Roe v. Wade guaranteed individuals access to abortion within particular limits prescribed by each of the 50 states.
The Supreme Court’s opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson, published Friday, eliminates that right and allows each state to determine whether abortion should be allowed within its borders.
As reported by The Dallas Express, more than half of the states have passed or are predicted to pass new laws restricting or prohibiting abortion, including Texas, where several clinics have already suspended their services.
On Friday, pro-abortion supporters took to the streets protesting the Court’s decision. Fox 4 News reported that a few hundred protesters rallied at Civic Park after marching through downtown Dallas.
DTX Daily posted footage on Twitter that afternoon of workers boarding up the historic Santa Fe Terminal Complex just hours after the Court’s decision went public.
The neighboring Earle Cabell Federal Building also braced itself against potential unrest, with workers erecting a security fence around the building, per Fox 4 News.
The rally remained peaceful and ended before midnight.
On Saturday, several hundred people showed up at Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas for the “Rising Together Rally.”
Kristy Noble, chairwoman of the Dallas County Democratic Party, addressed the crowd, saying, “It’s time to stop playing nice. We have to get mean, we have to get loud, and we have to fight for our rights.”
Noble and other speakers called on the crowd to vote for pro-abortion candidates and get everyone they knew to the polls for this year’s midterm elections.
However, the demonstrations did not reflect any consensus on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the city of Dallas, as both pro- and anti-abortion activists spoke out.
Geralyn Kaminsky, executive director of Catholic Pro-Life Community, stated, “We absolutely applaud the Supreme Court decision. We believe in the dignity and respect of life of all human life.”
For his part, Bishop Edward Burns of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas issued a statement:
“Since 1973, we have prayed and marched for the right to life. We are grateful that this day has come and give thanks to God for the gift of life. Let us continue to pray that all will come to acknowledge this sacred right to life.”
Burns’ sentiment was echoed by his colleague in Fort Worth in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bishop Michael Olson, who wrote in a statement, “Human beings are only as safe as the most vulnerable member of our society. If unborn babies are not protected by law and safe from harm, then it follows any injury to any person can be falsely justified by law and society.”
Another of Saturday’s protests was held in Belo Garden Park on Main Street in Dallas. Among those groups who organized the demonstration in protest of the Supreme Court opinion were Dallas Women’s March, Planned Parenthood, Dallas AFL-CIO, and the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats.
“Every woman should have the right to choose for their own body,” protest attendee Sam Rosso told CBS News. Ross stated that although he is not a woman, he wanted to show his support for them.
“Let’s change this and restore the rights,” suggested protester Allison Liu to Fox 4 News. “We’ve learned about all the people who fought for our rights, so we did have rights. And to have it all taken away after all that hardworking is heartbreaking.”
Meanwhile, anti-abortion activists praised the Supreme Court’s decision as a win.
“Yesterday (June 24) was actually a really good day,” said Mary Castle, a senior policy advisor for Texas Values. “I know there will be some legalities that they are trying to figure out, but we are happy. They are complying with where we are moving towards, which is an abortion-free America.”
“When I heard the news, I was totally for it; I do support it,” said David Marshall, an anti-abortion demonstrator. “I’m totally against abortion. That is just the way I was brought up and the way that I believe.”
Security dispersed some individuals who grew combative throughout the evening to ensure the demonstration remained calm.
While the pro-abortion protests in Dallas remained peaceful over the weekend, other demonstrations elsewhere in the country did not.
On Friday, in Arizona, protests turned into riots, with people surrounding government buildings on the Capitol mall in Phoenix and started banging on the windows, intimidating state lawmakers inside. Capitol police had to fire tear gas from the second floor of a statehouse building to disperse the crowd.
Mayhem unfolded in downtown Los Angeles Friday night when pro-abortion protesters clashed with police. One man was charged with attempted murder after he threw a makeshift flamethrower at officers, burning one in the process.
More protests are expected across the nation in the coming weeks.