Thousands pour into downtown Dallas to rally for abortion rights and to blast Texas' SB 8 law
Demonstrators gather at Main Street Garden Park in downtown Dallas before marching in favor of abortion rights on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021.(Michael Williams)
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Dallas on Saturday to rally for reproductive rights and to demonstrate against Texas new law that heavily restricts abortions.
The afternoon rally was one of hundreds planned to coincide with the national Womens March in Washington, where Texas recently passed law, known as SB 8, was a focal point for protesters and speakers.
The nationwide events came a day after the Justice Department argued before a U.S. district judge in Austin that Texas near-total ban on abortions is unconstitutional. The department said that SB 8, which outlaws abortions six weeks into pregnancy before many women know they are pregnant violates Supreme Court precedent that grants the right to have an abortion.
In Dallas, demonstrators filled Main Street Garden Park, with many carrying signs bearing messages like Lets talk about the elephant in the womb, I love someone who had an abortion, and My vagina, my choice.
About a dozen anti-abortion protesters shouted different messages from in front of the UNT Dallas Law Center. Youre fake Christians! was one chant. A street preacher with a megaphone told those in the main rally that they were bound for hell. And someone else screamed that the demonstrators had never known death or battle, prompting Jayne Richardson, who came to the rally from McKinney, to yell: Im a veteran!
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https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/10/02/thousands-pour-into-downtown-dallas-to-rally-for-abortion-rights-and-to-blast-texas-sb-8-law/