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What It Looked Like When Protesters Took To The Streets Over Alabama’s Abortion Ban
Outraged by Alabama's new near-total abortion ban, demonstrators descended on the state's capitol building in Montgomery on Sunday, chanting popular abortion rights slogans like, "my body, my choice" and carrying signs calling for an end to "the war on women." In fact, photos of the Alabama abortion ban protest show hundreds of people turned up to demand lawmakers protect abortion access in the state.
"Banning abortion does not stop abortion. It stops safe abortion," NBC News reported Planned Parenthood Southeast President Staci Fox told demonstrators gathered outside the Alabama State Capitol. The health care provider has argued Alabama's ban is "even too extreme for Alabama."
Sunday's protest comes less than a week after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation outlawing abortion at any stage of gestation with no exceptions for rape or incest. The controversial bill, which makes abortion and attempted abortion felony offenses except in cases where the pregnant patient's life is in danger, is the most restrictive abortion law in the country. Abortion rights advocates have said they plan to challenge the law, which won't go into effect until after six months, in court, Vox has reported
Alabama's ban comes as laws banning abortion as early as six weeks — before many even know they're pregnant — were passed in Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Georgia.
But photos of Sunday's Alabama abortion ban protest show that resistance to such anti-choice laws remains fierce.
The Handmaids Cometh
A protester dressed as a handmaid from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale stands before the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
Don't Tread On Them
Peaceful protesters armed with poster-board signs gathered on the streets of Montgomery ahead of Sunday's protest.
Hundreds Of Protesters Showed Up
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Alabama State Capitol on Sunday to protest the recent anti-abortion law.
Protect Safe, Legal Abortion
Angered by the near-total abortion ban signed into law by Alabama's governor last week, protesters demanded access to safe and legal abortion.
Pro-Life?
Some protesters urged so-called "pro-life" conservative legislators to ban guns, not abortion.
When Reality Begins To Feel Like Fiction
Protesters in red hooded cloaks inspired by Atwood's dystopian novel were scattered throughout Sunday's event.
"Reproductive Rights Are Civil Rights"
One marcher at Sunday's protest carried a sign decrying "reproductive rights are civil rights."
"Not Ovary-Acting"
Protesters took over the streets on their way to the capitol building in Montgomery on Sunday.
"Keep Your Policy Off My Body"
Footage of Sunday's protest showed demonstrators chanted slogans like "stop the war on women," and "keep your policy off my body" as they marched to the state capitol.
Alabama's Law May Go Further Than Voters Want
Recently released polling data has suggested that Alabama's near-total abortion ban may go further than many of the state's voters would like. According to Alabama Local, a 2018 poll conducted for Planned Parent Southeast by Anzalone Liszt Grove (ALG) Research found that that "banning abortion without exceptions for rape and incest is overwhelmingly a minority position among Alabama voters."
