PORTLAND, Maine — At the U.S. Supreme Court, statehouses and other sites across the nation, abortion rights supporters held rallies Tuesday in opposition to the wave of sweeping abortion bans being enacted this year in Midwestern and Southern states.
Organizers -- including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and the American Civil Liberties Union -- predicted tens of thousands of people would attend hundreds of events scheduled in all 50 states.
The "National Day of Action to Stop the Bans" came in response to a near-total ban on abortion recently signed into law in Alabama, as well as bills enacted or nearing passage in Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Louisiana aimed at banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can happen in the sixth week of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant. Missouri lawmakers have passed an eight-week ban.
None of the laws has taken effect, and all will likely be blocked while legal challenges play out. Ban supporters hope one or more of the measures might reach the Supreme Court and possibly trigger reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
In downtown Portland at Congress Square, hundreds of people took to the streets to join the movement of marches across the nation on May 21.
Reproductive rights has been a controversial and frequently discussed topic among Maine's public and government, as of late.
Last week, the Maine Legislature passed a bill that would allow state tax dollars to be used for MaineCare funding for abortions.
On Monday, the House voted to pass another bill that would allow medical personnel other than doctors to perform abortions in the state.
"People have very short memories as to why it's so important to keep abortion legal. It's so women don't die," said protester Jennifer Halm-Perazone. "Women will continue to have abortions, whether or not it's legal."
"This is our country, and I stand with women in Alabama and down South that don't have access," protester Alex Sturtevant declared. "I am going to fight for them just like I would fight for anyone in Maine."