About 50 people waved signs and chanted Thursday at an intersection in central Little Rock as a part of a national protest of restrictive abortion laws passed in several states.
The #StopTheBans protests, at least one held in each of the 50 states, are objecting to the restrictions on abortion access passed in recent months.
"Right now, abortion is still legal in all 50 states," Ali Taylor said Thursday before the rally at West 12th Street and South University Avenue, and the crowd before her cheered. "Say it with me, 'Abortion is still legal in all 50 states.'"
Arkansas passed nine abortion laws in the 2019 legislative session, including making the procedure illegal after 18 weeks of pregnancy; banning abortions entirely if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized it; imposing a three-day wait period on people seeking abortions; and stopping state funding for abortion-related services for inmates.
Though the majority of the protests in other states took place on Tuesday, Taylor, the president and co-founder of Arkansas Abortion Support Network, said Thursday was a better fit for Little Rock's abortion-rights advocacy group.
Representatives of the Arkansas Family Council, which opposes abortion, did not return phone calls for comment by press time Thursday.
In part, the protests were spurred by Alabama's passing of the strictest abortion law in the country, which would make abortion illegal in almost all cases, including in instances of rape and incest.
Taylor said, however, that the local rally also intended to draw awareness to Arkansas' abortion-access laws and to make people aware that abortion-rights advocacy groups existed in the state.
"You may not know that in a place like Arkansas there are support groups here," Taylor said. "We are certainly also reaching out to the community."
The protesters -- many donning pink and white shirts or carrying pink signs -- chanted "Protect our bodies, protect our rights" and "What do we want? Body autonomy! When do we want it? Now!" as cars passed by, some honking or waving out of their windows.
"You know, I did this in grad school in 1984 in Florida," Stephanie Meincke said as she stood on the roadside. "I can't believe I'm having to do it again. I thought we were past this."
Meincke said she noticed a difference between the 1984 protests and the Thursday rally.
"You hear people passing and honking and there wasn't this much support back then," she said. "I think our leaders need to know when they support these bans, they're not with the people."
Metro on 05/24/2019