SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Savannahians continue to protest weeks after a leaked draft opinion suggested the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.
On Saturday, multiple pro-choice rallies took place downtown, drawing in hundreds of women, men and children uniting as one voice.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Savannah from Forsyth Park to the courthouse on Montgomery Street, fighting a battle many said they shouldn’t have to.
“We’re just here to fight for human rights,” demonstrator Kiersten Hebron said. “Abortion rights are human rights.”
The continued calls for access to abortion come after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a bill earlier this week that would have federally protected abortion rights.
“We are not deterred,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said. “We’re not dismayed. We’re not distressed. I think we’re mad as hell.”
The mayor joined the crowd, saying local and federal lawmakers need to hear and listen to their citizens’ cries.
“It’s ok to not want children, it’s ok to not want to be a parent and no one should be forced into that,” demonstrator Dixie Whitlock said.
Saturday’s crowds included people who have been fighting for women’s rights for decades, while others were less than a decade old.
“It’s about her rights just as much as anybody else’s,” Celena Cook said about her daughter, Mary. “I mean, I want her to grow up in a world where she has the right to her own choices for her own body.”
And men are joining in the fight, too.
“This is about them and women and that this is for them,” David Wood said. “This isn’t for anybody else or about anybody else.”
If Roe is overturned, Georgia’s so-called “heartbeat bill” would immediately restrict abortion.
Supreme Court justices did confirm the leaked draft opinion is authentic, but not their final decision. Still, demonstrators believe it’s a matter of when – not if – they lose their access to abortion.
“It’s just appalling and you never thought that you would see that happen again, that we’re going to try to ban abortions,” Hebron said. “It’s horrible.”
The Supreme Court’s official opinion is not expect to come until late June.
Earlier Saturday morning, local advocates also held a series of teach-ins to discuss how to move forward in a post-Roe world. Organizers also encouraged demonstrators to take their anger to the polls for Georgia’s primary election on May 24.
