HTC Marches to Support Women’s Reproductive Rights

June 6, 2022 4:27 PM

On Saturday, May 14th, HTC members took to the streets of Brooklyn alongside thousands of protestors to support women’s reproductive rights. Gathering under the banner of “Bans Off Our Bodies,” the group marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and into Foley Square in order to protest against overturning Roe v. Wade. A leaked draft ruling in the current Supreme Court Case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, showed a majority of justices voting to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established abortion as a constitutional right nearly 50 years ago.

At the march, HTC members carried signs reading “Abortion Rights are Workers’ Rights” and walked shoulder-to-shoulder alongside those who would later address the crowd, including women’s rights advocates like Gloria Allred and Elizabeth Holtzman, as well as Attorney General Laetitia James and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

This powerful display of outrage against the attack on women’s reproductive rights wasn’t confined to New York: passionate demonstrators turned out for “Bans Off Our Bodies” marches in dozens of cities and small towns, showing widespread support for the cause across the country.

“We must be able to control our own bodies—which has a direct impact on economic justice and the ability of working people to make a better life for themselves and their families,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a statement. As a union that represents a membership that consists mostly of women of color, HTC proudly stands in defense of women’s reproductive rights, and against any attempt to restrict access to healthcare.