Rallies To Protect Abortion Rights Announced For Seattle

SEATTLE — A draft majority opinion reportedly leaked to Politico suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe V. Wade, the landmark abortion ruling. A final decision on the case is not expected until late June or July, but the news has not been met kindly in Washington, a state known for its overwhelming Democrat majority and strong, pro-choice legislation.

In response to the leak, several groups are organizing protests across Western Washington to speak out for abortion rights.

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant has announced a rally to defend Roe V Wade, set for 6 p.m. Tuesday evening at Westlake Park.

"Now's the time for mass protests in 100s of cities across the nation," Sawant said. "Roe V Wade was won in the first place thru fighting mass movements, not dead ends in Congress."

Before that, Gov. Jay Inslee and other state leaders will hold a pro-choice rally and press conference at Seattle's Kerry Park. That conference will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on TVW.

Finally, as the Capitol Hill Blog first reported, Refuse Facism Seattle has announced a "Rise up 4 Abortion Rights" rally this Saturday, at 1625 Broadway Avenue in Seattle. Attendees are being invited to wear a green bandana — the internation symbol of abortion rights — and raise their voices against the decision.

The news is still fresh, so other protests may be announced as the day goes on. Patch will update this page if and when more information becomes available.

The draft opinion was leaked by Politico late Monday night, and Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the draft's authenticity. Roberts also directed the Marshal of the Court to investigate the source of the leak.

Politico reported Monday that it had obtained the draft majority opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito and circulated inside the court that strikes down Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the case that affirmed a woman’s right to obtain an abortion.

If the court strikes down Roe, abortion rights would be left to the states to decide. Right now, 22 states have laws on their books to ban or restrict abortion, and four more appear poised to do so, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights policy group. Washington, however, has laws on the books enshrining abortion as a legally-protected right, though some critics say the state could do more to expand abortion access to marginalized communities.