LOS ANGELES — An abortion-rights rally, organized by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, marched to a Santa Monica Planned Parenthood office Saturday in an attempt to overwhelm far-right groups planning to protest outside the medical clinic.
The anti-abortion rally, which is scheduled to take place outside the Planned Parenthood-Santa Monica Health Center, arrives nearly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
The far-right group, AmericanMade Patriots, held a rally at Palisades Park in Santa Monica earlier this month, and on July 9, far-right groups protested outside the Santa Monica Planned Parenthood office, forcing the clinic to close early.
About 100 abortion-rights activists had gathered outside Santa Monica City Hall by 10 a.m. A light marine layer hung over the crowd. Organizers and protesters with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights wore green shirts and bandannas in solidarity with the national movement for abortion rights.
Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights organizer Olivia Dunston, 29, said the group was there to “help protect the Planned Parenthood and everybody with uteruses.”
“I am nonviolent, so I’m not really looking for any type of violence,” Dunston said.
Activists held signs that read, “Blood on Your Hands,” with portraits of five conservative members of the Supreme Court; “We Are Not Incubators” and “I’m Not Part of Your Book Club” with a drawing of the Bible.
The group said it will try to stay ahead of the tactics used by the Proud Boys, a right-wing neo-fascist group that participated in last week’s rally and also was expected to turn out at Saturday’s antiabortion demonstration.
An activist named Megan, who did not disclose her full name, said she was concerned about the threat of violence from antiabortion protesters.
“But this is more important,” she said. “The cause is more important.”
The crowd arrived at the Third Street Promenade just before 11:30 a.m. They were joined by another group of abortion-rights demonstrators, bringing their numbers to about 400 to 500 people. The air was energized with chants pushing for abortion access.
There were a handful of antiabortion protesters, including people wearing leather biker vests that read “Ride for Donald J. Trump” and a man with a loudspeaker and a large sign that read, “Repent or Perish.” They declined to speak with The Times.
The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade has sparked hundreds of protests across the country since a draft opinion was leaked in May.
Although the demonstrations have been overwhelmingly peaceful, 11 have turned violent, all of which have involved participants affiliated with the Proud Boys, according to Roudabeh Kishi, director of research and innovation at Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a nonprofit that tracks political violence and demonstrations.
Since the Supreme Court decision, nine states have banned abortion, with more expected to follow suit in the coming weeks. The House recently voted to restore abortion rights nationwide but the bill has little chance of becoming law because it lacks the necessary support in the Senate.
Abortion remains legal in California, which has sought to solidify its status as a reproductive safe haven. The state Legislature in June approved a ballot measure that will enable voters to decide in November whether the state Constitution should be amended to explicitly protect a person’s right to an abortion.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued an executive order that said California will not share medical records with antiabortion states or extradite doctors who provide care to patients seeking the procedure here.
