KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Hundreds gathered Krutch Park for the “Bans Off Our Bodies” rally Friday after the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon calls the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, “a devastating blow to equality, justice, and safety.”
“In this moment we cannot rely on the president,” Tory Mills said. “We cannot rely on legislatures. We cannot rely on the courts to take care of us. We have to take care of each other.”
Austin Sharpe said, “I’m tired of the government assaulting women’s rights. This is assault on anyone with a uterus.”
Mills shared a message at the rally and led a few chants.
She said, “Somebody in your life that you know and that you love has had an abortion or they will have an abortion. And tonight, they need your support. They need to know that you love them, and you care about them. “
Tennessee’s trigger law will go into effect in at least 30 days which will ban nearly all abortions.
“This decision will effectively ban all abortion in Tennessee except for the health and life on the mother,” Republican State Representative Jason Zachary said. “It’s a huge day. We’ve seen over 63 million babies killed through abortion over the last 50 years and that stops today.”
Dr. Mark O’Gorman said, “It’s going to be happening pretty quickly so when you talked about Tennessee being a state where a number of restrictions could occur, that’s true. Starting with that law they created and possibly more as the legislatures starts to consider even more restrictions.”
O’Gorman is a political science professor at Maryville College. According to him, it is possible lawmakers will start discussing abortion related penalties soon.
“‘If a Tennessee woman crosses state lines, is she in violation of the law? Can she literally be put into court because she violated Tennessee law?’ We don’t know but I do know that’s going to be one of a dozens if not hundreds of different types of situations where suddenly we have to think about criminal law because it’s an area we haven’t gotten to.”
While those at the rally continue their fight for abortion rights, they say the new ruling won’t stop people from getting them.
“My message tonight is really for Knoxvillians to get educated, become aware, and to get out and take action,” Mills said.
She added more rallies and other abortion related events are in the works.
EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated.