Pro-choice rally held at U.S. consulate in Toronto in wake of Roe vs. Wade overturn
Dozens of people gathered outside the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto Saturday to protest a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn constitutional protection for abortion rights.
Protester carried placards and chanted slogans to protest the decision, which overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which legalized abortion.
The decision is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of U.S. states.
Speaking with CP24 outside the consulate, the chair of Democrats Abroad Canada said she’s worried about what the move means for women’s health and freedoms.
She said she greeted the decision Friday with anger and fear but that has since turned to action.
“We’re mobilizing, we’re registering voters, we’re finding those Americans that are here,” Erin Kotecki Vest said, pointing out that there are more than half a million Americans living in Canada who are eligible to vote in the U.S.
She said the primary goal of the protest is to raise awareness about the decision.
“We need to get more people aware of what’s going on and to get those Americans that are here in Canada registered to vote because that’s the only thing that’s going to change this,” Kotecki Vest said. “Canadians voting and Americans voting, that’s the number one thing to do.”
She said while Canadians and Americans living here tend to feel insulated from the abortion debate south of the border, people should not take their freedoms for granted.
“One of the reasons we love living in Canada so much is that we think we don’t have to fear what’s happening south of the border, that we can kind of skirt that a little. But as you’ve seen it’s starting to creep up,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for ‘oafish’ comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.