PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Emotions are high on all sides of the issue after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Friday to overturn the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. There were rallies in celebration and protest Friday night in Philadelphia.
Outside of City Hall, hundreds of demonstrators are protesting the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. Many say they are worried about the long-term implications of the decision, including potential threats to LGBTQ rights, the right to contraception, and more.
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Melanie Stamp, one of the organizers of the protest, said this opens the door to a nationwide ban on abortion access.
"This is opening up a very, very dangerous precedent," Stamp said.
Tom Stevens, the president and CEO of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia, said his organization is celebrating this decision.
"A great victory that we've been waiting for for 50 years," he said, adding that it's all about protecting human life.
But some protesters said the decision is not about protecting women or children. If it were, they said, conservatives would be doing more to protect women and children from guns. They say the fallout will disproportionately hurt Black and brown women and their communities.
Patrick Flynn, a protester, said the decision is an attack on women and their right to privacy and autonomy.
"I don’t think it’s the government's job to tell women what to do with their
bodies," Flynn said.
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An unjust law is no law at all, and it is time to work together to continue to protect human rights, said City Councilmember Helen Gym, who spoke at the demonstration.
"A time when people need to pull together," she said. "Abortion is still legal in the state of Pennsylvania."
She echoed President Joe Biden statement from earlier on Friday, saying the fight for abortion rights is now a ground game from state to state, and voting can make all the difference — "and we have to prove it in November."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misidentified Patrick Flynn.