Protesters march through downtown LA in opposition to possible abortion drug ban, VP Harris speaks

Saturday, April 15, 2023
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to voice their support for abortion rights in the wake of a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that could overturn the FDA's approval of the most common abortion drug in the United States.

The reproductive rights march featured women - and some men - marching through the streets, chanting and holding signs, before ending with a rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall.
[Ads /]
The protesters oppose the recent Texas court decision on mifepristone, as well as the Supreme Court's decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortion, which was once ruled to be a Constitutional right.

The rally featured several speakers, including a surprise speech by Vice President Kamala Harris, who happened to be in town for the event.

"And so this is a moment that history will show what required each of us, based on our collective love of our country, to stand up and protect and fight for our ideals," said Harris. "That's what this moment is."

Gloria Allred, a civil rights lawyer known for fighting to protect women's rights, spoke with ABC7 on the importance of maintaining mifepristone, the abortion drug in trouble of being removed from the American market, as an option for women.
[Ads /]
"We want scientific judgment to prevail and not to have any justice substitute their religious ideology, or their beliefs that are not scientific," said Allred. "We don't want these courts to limit access to women."



The Supreme Court has put in place a stay for now, keeping mifepristone available to women in California for the time being. The Court will now have some time to look over the Texas case, brought by an anti-abortion group, before making a decision.

California has stockpiled a substitute drug for mifepristone and will make it available if the drug is taken off the market.
Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.