May 21, 2019

Powerful Scenes as Thousands Across the Country Protest Extreme Abortion Laws

#StopTheBans comes after 8 states passed draconian measures aimed at challenging Roe v. Wade.

As Republican-controlled state legislatures continue to pass legislation restricting abortion access—a steady movement that has prompted outrage and deep concerns this may trigger a conservative-leaning Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade—reproductive rights groups have organized a mass national protest on Tuesday to speak out against the new wave of draconian laws.

The call to action comes exactly one week after Alabama lawmakers passed a measure effectively banning abortions outright, even in cases of rape and incest. The ban, which was signed into law the next day, also makes it a felony punishable of up to 99 years in prison for doctors who perform the procedure. Seven other states have passed legislation targeting abortion rights this year alone.

The #StopTheBans demonstrations on Tuesday will kick off around noon local time, with at least 500 events scheduled at statehouses and courthouses around the country. More than 50 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, are behind the national day of protest. Several high-profile Democrats, including 2020 presidential candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, were among the protesters attending the DC rally outside the Supreme Court.

We’ll be updating this post with powerful scenes from the various protests below: 

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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