Democratic candidates for 2020 showed their support for abortion rights during nationwide protests of Alabama's new law, which makes it a felony for doctors to perform the procedure even in cases of rape and incest.
More than 500 rallies were planned across the country on Tuesday to protest the near-total abortion bans recently passed by legislatures in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and other conservative states.
Over 50 reproductive choice organizations, including Planned Parenthood, NARAL and the Women's March, organized the demonstrations as part of the National Day of Action to Stop the Bans. The events have been promoted on social media using the hashtag #StopTheBans.
At least seven Democratic presidential candidates were spotted at rallies on Tuesday. Nearly every single one of the 23 Democrats running for the White House has condemned Alabama's abortion law and vowed to fix it if elected.
Last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the nation's strictest anti-abortion law after the measure was passed by 25 men in the state's Republican-controlled Senate. The legislation makes it a felony for doctors to perform abortions, except for cases where a woman's health is at "serious risk."
Unlike other strong anti-abortion measures, Alabama's law does not include exceptions for victims of rape or incest. That aspect of the law is dividing the GOP, as President Donald Trump and top congressional Republicans have all said that they support such exemptions from abortion restrictions.
The law is already facing challenges in court. Advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood plan to sue the state. Alabama has also faced boycott threats as celebrities and other government officials call for economic retaliation.
Democratic presidential candidates have been outspoken in their condemnation of anti-abortion measures as an unconstitutional "war on women." Here are the 2020 candidates who attended #StopTheBans rallies and what they had to say:
Cory Booker: Speaking at a rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington D.C., Booker had a message for the men in the crowd: "To all the men who are here, we must wake up more men to join this fight. Not just because we have daughters and mothers and wives. But because this is an assault on human dignity, on freedom."
Pete Buttigieg: The South Bend, Indiana, mayor attended the rally in Washington, D.C. He told reporters that he doesn't believe women and their doctors "should be overruled by the heavy hand of government."
Kirsten Gillibrand: The New York senator rallied on the steps of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, telling the crowd that "this is the beginning of President Trump's war on women." She added that under Trump's administration, women are being treated as "second class citizens."
Amy Klobuchar: The Minnesota senator addressed the crowd at the Washington, D.C., rally. Before appearing at the event, Klobuchar spoke out on the Senate floor against the coordinated attacks on abortion. "Precent in Roe is clear. But these lawmakers have decided they want to take away a woman's basic right to make a personal health care decision."
Seth Moulton: Speaking to the crowd assembled in front of the Supreme Court, Moulton said that he's a Christian man who supports women. "It is not my job to come to Washington and take away the rights of my wife. It is not my job to come to Washington and take away the rights of my daughter," the congressman said.
Tim Ryan: The Ohio congressman blasted conservative lawmakers in his address to the rally crowd in D.C. "When are these legislators going to give a shit about the baby once it's born?" he said, prompting applause from the audience.
Bernie Sanders: Sanders made an appearance at the D.C. rally, though he did not make a formal address to the crowd. During the demonstration, the Vermont senator posted on Twitter that abortion is "a woman's constitutional right, and people in every state in this country are ready to defend that right."
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