Austin Among 350 Cities Staging Abortion Rights Rallies

AUSTIN, TX — Amid a flurry of anti-abortion legislation across the country, more than 350 demonstrations are scheduled on Tuesday calling for abortion rights — including a rally in Austin on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

Hosted by Naral Pro Choice-Texas, a local "Stop Abortion Bans Day of Action" demonstration is scheduled on Tuesday, May 21, beginning at 11 a.m., according to the event website. At noon, according to the website, Texas Handmaids takes over hosting duties. The address for both events is listed as that of the state Capitol is located at 1100 Congress Ave. The website also lists a related event hosted by The Afiya Center that begins at 9 a.m.

More than 50 organizations — including Planned Parenthood, SisterSong and the Women's March — will stage 350 demonstrations across the country calling for an end to what they see as effectively full bans on abortion with passage of extreme bills against the procedure, according to the event website.

“Across the country, we are seeing a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access,” reads the event website. “Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions best left to women, their families, and their doctors.”

Related story: WilCo Group To Join In Abortion Rights Demonstrations

The mass reaction from abortion rights advocates stems from recent passage of a number of extreme anti-abortion bills, including last week's signing of a bill by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey that reproductive rights advocates see as tantamount to a total ban. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson is poised to pass another law banning abortion after eight weeks — with no exceptions made for rape and incest or allowances made for survivors of human trafficking — according to reports.

Republican lawmakers are cashing in capital currency with Donald Trump in the White House following the appointment of conservative voices in the U.S. Supreme Court. Political pundits forecast the moves being made to limit (or outright ban) abortion by conservatives capitalizing on the current power structure in the executive and judicial branches of the federal government.

The flagship event is scheduled to kick off in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C. at noon EST, according to the event website. Another big rally is likely in New York City, where the demonstration there will launch at 5 p.m. EST at Foley Square. The hashtag for the mass demonstrations is #StopTheBans.

To find locations of demonstrations on Tuesday near you, click here.