Bans Off Our Bodies Rally

The Women's March Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and their partners organized the Bans Off Our Bodies rally, which took place on May 14. While the Women's March in Los Angeles was previously scheduled, it mutated to focus on Roe v. Wade after a draft of the Supreme Court's pending decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health was leaked, portending that Roe would be overturned. Similar marches took place in close to 450 cities around the country.

In Los Angeles, the rally was held downtown at Grand Park. Thousands of people gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday to support abortion rights and protest the potential overturn of the Roe. Among the many speakers, Mayor Garcetti chanted with the crowd, "L.A. is pro-choice. We are a sanctuary. L.A. is pro-health and we are a sanctuary. L.A. is pro-freedom. We are a sanctuary."

A small group of anti-abortion advocates also gathered to the side of the main stage and exchanged opposing chants with pro-abortion rights advocates.

The anti-abortion group chanted the whole time, surrounded by about fifty supporters of choice, who chanted back. Although the competing chants made it difficult to hear the speakers, there was no physical antagonism during the hour I was there.

—Toni Cavanagh Johnson, Social Justice Committee