Thousands of American women took to the streets of Washington on Saturday in support of the Democratic candidate and abortion rights, the central issue of this presidential campaign.
Three days before presidential electionthousands of women took to the streets of Washington, D.C. on Saturday in support of Kamala Harris. The Democratic candidate has made the defense of abortion rights a central theme of her campaign, and it’s the one being defended at this “women’s march”.
“Voting for the candidate who will support our rights as women is the most important thing for me.“Leah Brooker, 19, who had come from North Carolina for the occasion, told AFP. She had voted in advance in this key state, and was delighted to be able to give her vote to a woman in her first presidential election.
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In her hands alongside her best friend, she holds a carefully crafted sign: “If guys stay guys, then women will be president“we read.
“We’re not going back!”
On a stage set up on the “Freedom Plaza”, speaker after speaker called for a vote for the 60-year-old Democratic candidate, with the dome of the US Congress as a backdrop. “We’re not going back!“chanted the crowd, adopting one of Kamala Harris’s campaign slogans.
Marlene Wagner, 70, flew in from Nebraska to attend the event. She says she is here “for my grandchildren and children, because I fear for their future.“. In her state, abortion rights have been restricted to a maximum of 12 weeks’ pregnancy, after the US Supreme Court, thoroughly overhauled by Donald Trump, reversed federal protection for voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion).
Referendums on abortion rights are being held on Tuesday in 10 states alongside the presidential poll. In Nebraska, one proposal seeks to enshrine the new restriction in the state constitution, while another seeks to extend the time allowed for an abortion. For Marlene Wagner, the choice was quickly made.
The restrictions have “already had an impact, as women were unable to obtain the care they needed“, laments the woman who also came in 2017 to the first Women’s March, which followed Donald Trump’s inauguration and gathered hundreds of thousands of people.D
Counter-demonstrators
In Washington, some counter-demonstrators accusing Kamala Harris of being a “baby killerThe “baby killers” also sought to make their voices heard on Saturday, although some women struggled to cover their voices and placards.
Donald Trump is “very dangerous” and “does not take women into consideration” accuses Abby Cohen, 66, not far from a Planned Parenthood booth. “We are 50% of the population.“
In three days, “I hope all women will vote for Harris“, dreams the New Yorker, just before the crowd makes its way to a lawn facing the White House. “But I hope all the men will also vote for Harris.”