Abortion supporters at Women's March in Boston turn out in droves to support Harris presidency

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Sophia Compton
Sat, November 2, 2024 
FOX NEWS

Hundreds turned out to participate in the Woman's March in Massachusetts ahead of Election Day, in a strong show of support for Vice President Kamala Harris and abortion access.

People marched on Boston Common, holding signs that read, "We won't go back" and "Abortion is health care." Some men joined with them.

The woman's march happened in Boston, as well as in Washington, D.C., and in Kansas City, Missouri.

Speakers urged people to vote in the election — highlighting that abortion is on the ballot in nine states.

"How many of you are going to vote on Tuesday? How many of you can’t wait to wake up to a woman president?" Rev. Dr. Deborah Haffner, of First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, Massachusetts, asked.

Tracy Murphy told NBC 10 Boston that she organized the women's march because she wanted to give it her all no matter who wins.

"Today’s message is that we want everybody to vote," Murphy said.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion access has returned to the state level.

Abortion has remained a hot-button issue in the 2024 election – with abortion being a top issue for many female voters.

Nine states will consider constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion rights — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota.

A record number of voters think abortion should be legal, with two-thirds favoring a nationwide law guaranteeing access, according to a Fox News national survey conducted on March 22-25, 2024.

Fox News Poll: Record Number Say Abortion Should Be Legal

Fifty-nine percent think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from the previous high of 57% in September 2022 and a record low of 44% in April 2022.

Support for legalization has been up (mostly by double-digits) across the board since April 2022, two months before Roe was overturned. That includes increased support among voters ages 65 and older (+16 points should be legal), conservatives (+12), Republicans (+11), and White evangelical Christians (+10).

Overall, just 7% think abortion should never be permitted, while five times as many say it always should be (35%). Another one-third (32%) say abortion should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

Former President Donald Trump and VP Kamala Harris

Former President Trump has shifted his stance on abortion during the election cycle, with the Republican nominee hoping to attract independents and some disillusioned Democrats, but running the risk of alienating his pro-life base.

Trump notably opposes a federal abortion ban, but has remained opposed to late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position of advocating against abortion.

Throughout Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, she has argued that Trump — who nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who later voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — is responsible for worsening medical care for women and that he would seek further restrictions.

Harris has cast her position on the topic as creating legislation to restore the national abortion right that was eliminated following Roe v. Wade.

She has also vowed to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, calling the drug "essential medication.

Fox News' Victoria Balara and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thousands in Washington Women's March voice support for Harris as election looms

Don Jacobson
Sat, November 2, 2024

Attendees of the 2024 Women's March chant as they march down Constitution Avenue toward the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Participants marched from Freedom Plaza to The Ellipse, where Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her final major address on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPIMore

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Washington D.C., on Saturday as part of the Women's March 2024, calling for abortion rights and voicing support for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris three days before the election.

The march was designed to evoke the spirit of the original mass rally when out more than 1 million demonstrators turned out the day after Donald Trump's inauguration 2017 to denounce his presidency.

Saturday's event was much more modest with around 10,000 participants marching from Freedom Park to the White House, Women's March executive director Rachel O'Leary Carmona told The Washington Post.

But participants said they still got their message out, chanting slogans such as "We won't go back" and carrying signs reading, "A woman's place is in the White House."

The initial event on Jan. 21, 2017, was staged as a rebuke to Trump's swearing-in ceremony and resulted in one the biggest mass events in the District of Columbia's history, while simultaneous marches drew large crowds across the county and around the world, including 150,000 in Chicago and 125,000 in Los Angeles.

A woman in a pink "pussyhat" decorated with pins participates in the 2024 Women's March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Participants marched from Freedom Plaza to The Ellipse, where Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her final major address on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI..More

Participants then similarly demanded that abortion rights be protected while criticizing the Republican victor for his disparagement of women, minorities and immigrants.

This time, organizers said they wanted to march before a presidential election involving Trump in hopes of swaying voters in favor of Harris.

A woman wearing a denim jacket supporting Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris prepares to march during the 2024 Women's March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Participants marched from Freedom Plaza to The Ellipse, where Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her final major address on Tuesday. 

Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI..More

"On November 2nd, thousands of feminists will mobilize across the nation to show our collective power," the group said on its website ahead the scheduled 4 p.m. EDT rally and march from Freedom Plaza to the White House.

"Had enough people been ready for the fight for our families, our freedoms, and our futures in 2016, Donald Trump would have never been elected. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past."

A woman waves a "vote" flag during the 2024 Women's March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Participants marched from Freedom Plaza to The Ellipse, where Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her final major address on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPIMore

Carmona said the stakes are far higher now than seven years ago.

"We're on the the cusp of a new era in American politics," she told told ABC News on Saturday ahead of the march. "We have so much on the line. No matter where you're voting, we are in a choice between freedom and fascism."

Attendees of the 2024 Women's March hold posters as they march down 15th Street toward the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Participants marched from Freedom Plaza to The Ellipse, where Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her final major address on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPIMore

Among the scheduled speakers were women's rights attorney Gloria Allred, nonprofit media entrepreneur Aisha Becker-Burrowes, bestselling author and astrologer Chani; Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivor Aalayah Eastmond; and racial justice organizer Tiffany Flowers.

More than 1 million people participated in the Women's March in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2017, protesting the inauguration of then-President Donald Trump. Another Women's March was set for Saturday as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris headed into the final three days of the 2024 campaign. File Photo by David Tulis/UPIMore

'We're not going back:' Women's March activists prepare to take the streets
Sat, November 2, 2024 

Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of Women's March and Women's March Network, speaks to Saturday's nationwide movement as activists take to the streets.