Hundreds of activists gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, carrying colorful signs and banners with messages like “Doctors Not Doctrine” and “Abortion is Health Care.” They chanted, marched, and rallied for hours as the justices considered the availability of a commonly used abortion pill.
Supporters of abortion rights outnumbered those opposed, with occasional disagreements over the safety of the pill, mifepristone. Studies confirm its safety for terminating a pregnancy.
Some demonstrators had traveled long distances to be there, including Courtney Brown from Amarillo, Texas, a coffee shop owner and abortion rights activist. She described her town as a battleground for reproductive rights.
Brown stated, “I’m ready to fight back because we’re tired of having our rights taken away.”
Circling the court were small spherical robots containing abortion pills, known as “Roe-bots.” These machines allowed potential recipients to complete a telehealth consultation with a legal provider and receive a pill.
Three medical students emphasized the significance of the case as future doctors risking restrictions on reproductive care.
Sarah McNeilly, a student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, criticized the Supreme Court justices for not trusting the FDA and politicizing science.
Thirteen abortion rights activists were arrested for protesting on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. The arrests were part of a civil disobedience plan to highlight the potential consequences of the case.
The arrests aimed to emphasize the importance of ensuring access to abortion medication when needed.
During the arguments, activists held rallies on both sides of the court steps, with anti-abortion activists questioning the framing of abortion rights as a women’s health issue.
Amidst the activism, one pregnant anti-abortion activist expressed her views with a message on her belly, while a supporter of abortion rights countered with her own perspective.
The clash of opinions highlighted the ongoing debate over reproductive rights.
