Abortion rights advocates to rally at LA area churches on Mother’s Day

LOS ANGELES - Some abortion rights advocates were expected to take their fight to area churches for Mother's Day Sunday, kicking off a week of planned demonstrations against a likely U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn federal abortion protections enshrined in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Abortion rights debate rages across the country

From the steps of the United States Supreme Court to the streets of Los Angeles, abortion rights protesters are letting their voices be heard. Travis Rice spoke to some local protesters Saturday.

The demonstrations are set to climax Saturday when "Bans Off Our Bodies" rallies are scheduled across the United States, according to organizers.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had yet to announce any special policing efforts as of Sunday morning.

"We're just monitoring social media and any calls for service," a spokesperson at the Sheriff's Information Bureau told City News Service.

"As of today, we don't have any statements. But if something happens, we'll be the first to know," added a spokesman at the LAPD's Media Relations Division.

The activities were being organized by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights.

"We refuse to let the U.S. Supreme Court take away abortion rights," the group promised on its Twitter page. "The leaked draft memo that states the Supreme Court has struck down RoeVWade is an ATROCITY but It is not yet law & doesn't have to be, but what they plan to do & will do if WE don't stop them," the group added.

Last week, the online journal Politico reported that the high court had held a preliminary vote to overturn Roe v. Wade and 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling, with Justice Samuel Alito writing the draft opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts later confirmed the accuracy of the report while decrying the leak. Roberts also noted that it was just a preliminary vote and the court had not yet issued a final ruling.

Nevertheless, if the court does so -- which is expected by July at the latest -- the issue of abortion would be left to individual states, and as many as 20 states are poised to make it illegal.

On Saturday, dozens of people protested in West Hollywood and Culver City and at a variety of sites in other parts of California and nationwide, including outside the Washington D.C. area homes of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Roberts.

In West Hollywood, a crowd of mostly female demonstrators carried signs with such slogans as "We Won't Go Back," "My Body My Choice," "Abortion on Demand Without Apology" and "If It Isn't Your Body It's Not Your Decision."

The protest which started around noon at San Vicente and Santa Monica boulevards, went to La Cienega Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard and back to San Vicente, said Sgt. E. Jalvez of the LASD's West Hollywood Station.

Deputies provided traffic control to keep protesters safe, he said.

Dozens of protesters also gathered at Veterans Memorial Park in Culver City, led by a coalition of community groups and elected officials.

"While there are many local and nation rallies planned for May 14, there isn't a moment to wait to get involved in defending an American woman's right to her own autonomy," Culver City Councilwoman Yasmine-Imani McMorrin said. "In 2022, we are still fighting for so many basic human rights. I believe that abortion is healthcare and I'm determined to do all I can on the local level to support women/people who can become pregnant and their access to reproductive care."

At least two Los Angeles rallies are set for the May 14 day of protest, one at 9 a.m. as part of a larger, previously planned, Women's March at 350 W. First St. and at noon in Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave.

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