Abortion Rights Protesters Turn Out Ahead Of 'Roevember' Midterm Elections In The US

With one month until the US’ 2022 midterm elections, supporters of abortion rights turned out Saturday in places across the country to highlight the gravity of the issues at stake.

Control over the Senate and the House, both currently in the hands of Democrats, is considered to be up for grabs ― and with it, the future of reproductive health care in America.

Republican lawmakers have been taking increasingly tough stances against abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer. This 1973 ruling made abortion legal nationwide.

Some states, such as Texas and Oklahoma, now do not even allow abortion in cases of rape or incest; exceptions to their abortion bans can only be made in very limited circumstances to save the pregnant patient’s life.

Criminal penalties in certain states mean that medical practitioners might be risking their freedom and livelihood if they perform an abortion in a case that does not conform to lawmakers’ restrictions. 

What’s more, a conservative movement is underway to grant foetuses rights that would inevitably clash with women’s rights to make their own healthcare decisions. 

With all that in mind, demonstrators appeared united behind a push to get out the vote on November 8 at a series of “Women’s Wave” events organised by the Women’s March. 

Some demonstrators came with signs casting this coming November as “Roevember,” a referendum on abortion. Already the abortion issue has upended midterm races and forced some conservative candidates to tone down their rhetoric in the aftermath of what has proven to be a widely unpopular Supreme Court decision. 

Have a look at some of the events below.