A women's march was held on October 2, 2021, in protest of a recent abortion law in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, the
Texas Heartbeat Act
The Texas Heartbeat Act, Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), is an act of the Texas Legislature that bans abortion after the detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law took effect ...
. The demonstration was announced on September 2. More than 90 organizations participated. Although organizers of the Washington, D.C. march applied for a permit for 10,000 people,
actual attendance was around 5,000.
[5th Women's March focuses on reproductive rights after new Texas abortion law]
by Deepa Shivaram, ''npr.com'', October 2, 2021
Participation
Roughly 5,000 attendees in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
met in
Freedom Plaza
Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depicts ...
[ and marched to the ]United States Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States. Also referred to as "The Marble Palace," the building serves as the official workplace of the chief justice of the United States and the eight associate justices of th ...
. Speakers at the rally included Cristela Alonzo
Cristela Alonzo (born ) is an American comedian, actress, writer and producer, who created and starred in the ABC sitcom ''Cristela.'' This made her the first Latina woman to create, produce, write, and star in her own US primetime comedy.
Ear ...
, Schuyler Bailar
Schuyler Miwon Hong Bailar (born May 2, 1996) is an author, educator, American swimmer and advocate for LGBT rights. He is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, and also the first publicly documented NCAA D1 transgender man to co ...
, activist Monica Simpson, and Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
president Alexis McGill Johnson
Alexis McGill Johnson is an American academic and social justice advocate. She is the executive director and co-founder of the Perception Institute, an anti-bias research group, and is currently the president of Planned Parenthood.
Early life an ...
.Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
thousands gathered on the lawn of the Texas Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 ...
building, where speakers included Cecile Richards
Cecile Richards (born July 15, 1957) is an American activist who served as the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund from 2006 to 2018. In 2010, Richards was elected to the ...
, a Texan and former president of Planned Parenthood.
Marches also took place in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.t-shirts
A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are generall ...
with "1973" printed on them, which is the year of the ''Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...
'' court decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States. Many speakers warned of a looming threat to this court decision.
See also
* List of 2021 Women's March locations
References
External links
*
{{Women's March
October 2021 events in the United States
2021 in American politics
2021 protests
Abortion in the United States
Women's marches in the United States
History of women in Texas
2021 Women's March