Hundreds of pro-choice activists rallied in Wellington on Friday afternoon protesting the US Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I think people have shown up for basic human rights,” said organiser Madeleine Petersen-Gould.
Cries of “my body, my choice” could be from the crowd as the group marched towards the US embassy.
It’s been a week since the controversial decision by the US Supreme Court, which overturns the federal law allowing blanket access to the medical procedure across the US.
The right to abortion will now be decided at the state level, with some conservative states already enacting trigger laws that effectively deny access to millions.
“I’ve got grey hair now! It’s taken a long time for women to have the right to make a choice about their own body,” said protester Bette Cosgrove.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg is rising out of her grave right now and hopefully haunting the Supreme Court of the United States,” she told 1News.
A crowd of 300 were estimated to have gathered at the protest.
“We’ve only just in 2020 gained our abortion rights fully, before that it was still included in the Crimes Act … It’s really scary to think about what could happen,” said Fleur.
The 17-year-old said she was attending the protest in support of those “stripped of their reproductive rights”.
More protests are planned across the country throughout July.
