‘Abortion Is Healthcare’: 1,000 Gather Downtown To Protest Overturning Of Roe v. Wade

DOWNTOWN — An estimated 1,000 people gathered Saturday in The Loop to protest the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has guaranteed basic abortion rights since 1973, according to Politico, which obtained a draft of a majority opinion on the case. That ruling isn’t final until the opinion is public, which is likely to happen in the next two months, according to Politico.

The decision led to widespread outrage across the country, with abortion rights supporters in Chicago organizing a rally Downtown. About 1,000 people attended the rally, which transformed into a march with people chanting and waving pro-choice signs, according to a Sun-Times report.

RELATED: Chicago’s Abortion Providers Say They Need Long-Term Support To Protect People If Roe V. Wade Gets Overturned

Gov. JB Pritzker was among the attendees, with the governor saying he’s proud Illinois will continue to protect a person’s right to abortion, according to the Sun-Times.

Illinois and Chicago officials have vowed to protect abortion and reproductive health care in Illinois. Other states in the Midwest appear likely to quickly ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Local officials, abortion providers and health care advocates have spoken out against the decision, saying it will endanger people’s lives, risk the overturning of other court decisions and put stress on local clinics that will see an influx of patients from states where abortion does become illegal.

Photos from the rally: