“Bans off our bodies…,” the streets of Washington DC were echoing with such slogans a day after the Supreme Court’s draft leak of Roe v. Wade was announced on Tuesday. Thousands gathered across the United States to demonstrate against the possible reversal of Roe v. Wade.

United States Supreme Court in Washington DC was the epicenter of such protests. More than 1,000 people turned up. The presence of law enforcement officers was increased at the judicial complex and authorities set up barriers in front of the large staircase.

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Hours after the opinion draft was published by Politico on Monday, people lit candles late at night, denounced Justice Samuel Alito for writing the document and demanded the promotion of abortion rights in the United States.

Protests broke out in the United States, coast to coast. Prominent cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, and Seattle saw large gatherings.

The biggest protests were reportedly held in New York City and later transformed into a pro-choice rally. Attorney General Letitia James joined this rally on Tuesday and announced that nearly two decades ago, she “walked proudly into Planned Parenthood” and had an abortion.

A few things were common in all the rallies: a demand for Roe v. Wade to stay, large placards and “bans off our bodies” chants, according to reports from Reuters.

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Several counter-protests were also seen in the United States on Tuesday. Many people showed up at pro-choice rallies while beating drums and using powerful megaphones to suppress other voices. “Pro-choice is a lie, babies never choose to die”, and “abortion is violence, abortion is oppression”, were just some of the messages they had, Reuters reported.

Jane Moore, a New York City pro-choice protestor, said, “I just feel that we are going backwards. It actually breaks my heart and makes me angry at the same time.”