MELBOURNE / SYDNEY, July 2 (Reuters) – Thousands of Australians joined protests across the country on Saturday over the U.S. Supreme Court’s annulment of women’s constitutional right to abortion.
The Supreme Court overturned last week the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade, restoring the ability of individual states to ban abortion. Read more
At Australia’s largest demonstration, around 15,000 women and men marched through Melbourne, with banners that included “I borrowed this sign from my grandmother” and “Everyone deserves the right to bodily autonomy”.
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“We are here to stand up for women’s rights in Australia and around the world. Millions of women in the United States have had their rights taken away and that makes us angry,” said Liz Walsh, one of the protest organizers. in Melbourne.
The crowd chanted, “Fuck the church, fuck the state, women will decide their fate.”
As in the United States, in Australia, abortion laws are set by states. The country’s most populous state, New South Wales, only legalized abortion in 2019, the last state to do so.
The time limit after conception to access surgical abortion and the provision of abortion services varies from state to state, with some offering more access to public health care than others. South Australia bans private abortion clinics.
Protesters called for easier access across the country.
“I came out today in solidarity with women and girls in the United States to protest and defend their rights of choice and that abortion is health care and all women deserve a right to it,” the protester said. Melbourne Geraldine Bilston.
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Report by Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Stefica Nicol Bikes in Sydney; Lincoln Feast Edition.
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