Hundreds rally in Pittsburgh against abortion restrictions

Julia Felton
Saturday, May 14, 2022 5:23 p.m. | Saturday, May 14, 2022 5:23 p.m.

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Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Protesters practice chants before marching on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Protesters march down Grant Street for the Bans off Our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Robin Thurston holds up a sign at the Bans off Our Bodies on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

The crowd at the Bans off our Bodies Rally holds signs up at the City-County Building on Grant Street in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

A protester holds up a sign at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Sasha Mendoza and children, Graycen and Suri, hold up signs at the City-County Building on Grant Street.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

A protester holds up a sign at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Protesters prepare to march down Grant Street for the Bans off Our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

A protester holds up a sign at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Jodi Compton holds her sign up during the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

A protester holds up a sign at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

A protester holds up a sign at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Women’s March Director Tracy Baton speaks to the crowd at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey speaks to the crowd at the Bans off our Bodies Rally on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Registered nurse Lorraine Starsky (left) talks to another protestor while waiting for the rally to start on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Lilly Kubit | Tribune-Review

Hanna Rindt and Jack Praksti sit and wait for the Bans off Our Bodies Rally to start on Saturday at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

Hundreds of people congregated Saturday at Pittsburgh’s City-County Building to rally against abortion restrictions.

This comes after a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting the high court was poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide was leaked earlier this month.

The Bans off Our Bodies Rally drew a crowd of nearly 1,000, many holding signs in support of the right to abortion.

The event began with several speakers — including Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Tracy Baton, director of the Women’s March Pittsburgh — offering messages in support of abortion outside of the City-County Building. The group also learned chants supporting their message.

They then marched from Grant Street to Fifth Avenue, then Liberty Avenue, before stopping in Market Square.

Participants were taught how to help people register to vote, and encouraged to help people register for the November general election, in hopes of bolstering votes for pro-choice candidates.