Protests Erupt Across Los Angeles Following Roe V. Wade Leak: Photos

LOS ANGELES, CA — Protesters across Los Angeles showed their frustration with the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade, with multiple rallies over the past weekend.

Protests erupted across the country last Monday when Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion indicating Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal in all 50 states, could be overturned.

On Saturday afternoon, organizers met in front of the West Hollywood sheriff's station and ultimately marched down Santa Monica Boulevard. The march was meant to be a wake-up call for complacent Angelenos, organizers said at the protest.

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Protesters chanted phrases such as "Control over women is what they want, furious women is what they got," as drivers honked to show support. One woman, Bianca Christensen, told the story of why she decided to have an abortion.

Christiansen, 39, told the crowd she decided to have an abortion when she was in her early 20s and living on the street, according to the Los Angeles Times. She had a violent and controlling father who made it difficult to access healthcare and birth control, she said.

Christiansen would not have been able to fight out of poverty and go to school to become a chemical engineer without her abortion, she told the crowd.

Protesters marched to West Hollywood Park, where they made protest banners and sign for coming protests, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The protest was led by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, an organization that has spearheaded protests across the country in support of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision upholding the right to have an abortion.

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Nearby in East Hollywood, protesters met Saturday evening at Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue to express their frustration with the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade. The group marched down Vermont Avenue after hearing from organizers from multiple states and organizations and Los Angeles educators.

The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

"[This] is a declaration that the Supreme Court does not treat our rights as guaranteed," said Lillian House, an organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. "That it views all of our rights as something that can be stripped away. So we are here to say that we are unified and that we will fight back until they hear us in Washington."

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"We will not go back, we will fight back. There's no other choice, there's too much on the line," House said. "This is a declaration of war against women and against all people who can get pregnant. It is a declaration of war against our autonomy."

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In Highland Park, abortion rights supporters came head to head with anti-abortion protesters, according to ABC7. The protesters met outside a Planned Parenthood building and were separated by police officers.

A group of abortion rights supporters gathered in Culver City over the weekend with community leaders, ABC7 reported.

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