Crowd rallies in Chicago to support abortion rights

CHICAGO — Hundreds of people representing dozens of organizations advocating for abortion and reproductive rights filled Federal Plaza Saturday afternoon.

While abortion in Illinois remains legal, about a dozen other states have banned the medical procedure since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, leading to Chicago organizations to continue to advocate for abortion and reproductive rights on a federal level.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across the country live in states with total or near total abortion bans,” said Dr. Allison Cowett, medical director for Family Planning Associates. “They are vulnerable.”

Ralliers also believed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade opens up the door for other groups to lose certain protections under the law.

“This includes laws targeting trans youth and their families,” said Martese Chism. “[These are] attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals.”

To accommodate change in abortion and reproductive rights in states across the country, Dr. Cowett said they have widely expanded their services and staffing.

“We have doubled our phone lines, hired new doctors, new nurses [and] new schedulers,” Dr. Cowett said.