Reproductive rights advocates rally in Richmond against SCOTUS opinion leak

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Richmond-area residents have raised their voices over a leaked Supreme Court opinion revealing their intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating legal abortion protections in the United States.
Two weeks after the SCOTUS opinion was leaked, abortion access advocates gathered at Monroe Park in Richmond and heard remarks from speakers, including U.S. Representative Donald McEachin, who represents a large part of central and eastern Virginia.
Protesters then moved from the park to Place du Capitole, where the gates were closed.
This is not the first protest for reproductive rights that has taken place in the city since the decision to overturn the landmark ruling was leaked. On May 3, another demonstration drew hundreds of people to Place du Capitole to express their opposition to the opinion.
A few days later, on May 9, students at Midlothian High School in Chesterfield County staged a walkout in support of reproductive rights.
In Northern Virginia, groups of protesters surrounded the home of Judge Samuel Alito, prompting Gov. Glenn Youngkin to ask the Fairfax County Police Department to step up security at the judges’ home.
Youngkin, who called the leak “fundamentally false,” became the first Virginia governor to march with pro-life protesters during Virginia’s March for Life, alongside Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears. Youngkin did not say whether he plans to advocate for an abortion ban in the event Roe v. Wade would be canceled.