Abortion restrictions and bans passed in states across the country mobilized crowds across the nation and in Michigan on Tuesday to gather and protest the…
Abortion restrictions and bans passed in states across the country mobilized crowds across the nation and in Michigan on Tuesday to gather and protest the controversial laws.
„This has lit a fire all across the United States. There are 300 rallies being held today, including 20 right here in Michigan,“ Cecile Richard, the former president of Planned Parenthood, told a crowd of hundreds in Ann Arbor. „And this is a fire that is going to burn a pathway all the way to the White House next year.“
She was joined by Michigan activists, women who have had abortions and even a rapper who led the crowd in chants of „My Body, My Choice.“
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LaShawn Erby, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Lansing chapter, told the crowd that women don’t need anyone policing their bodies and urged the crowds to become active in the upcoming election to enact progressive change.
„All of this is a systematic plot, to little by little lose our rights,“ she said. „We have to show up at the ballot box because the same forces who are attacking blacks, immigrants and Muslims are the same forces who are attacking women.“
The crowd was protesting laws across the United States, including a near total ban on abortion in Alabama, and several anti-abortion laws passed in Michigan.
„These conservatives bring the power of the state into your medical decisions,“ said state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. „Next year, Michigan is going to be a battleground state and every one of us has the chance to stand up to protect our rights.“
At a Ferndale rally, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was greeted with chants of “Dana! Dana!” as she stood before a crowd of about 300 people in the parking lot of City Hall. Some attendees carried wire hangers and held homemade signs with sayings like, “My body, my choice.
