About 100 people gathered in Manitoba Assembly Ground on Saturday afternoon in support of abortion.
Organizers say their goal was to raise awareness of abortion in Canada and disrupt those who oppose it.
“I am here to protest anti-election protesters to show them that we in Canada will not stand for that rhetoric,” said Page Mason of Canada’s Abortion Rights Coalition.
‘Unbelievable’: Winnipeg women’s clinic prepared for impact of US rule that overturned Roe v. Wade
The large group walked down Memorial Boulevard with marching bands and signs, surrounding a group of about ten people who said they were against abortion.
Both rallies are a response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade. Whether abortion is legal or not is now up to each state. Abortion has been legal in Canada since a Supreme Court ruling in 1988, although access has varied across the country.
The US decision has sparked outrage, rallies and talks across Canada and the US
People take part in an abortion-rights protest at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Friday, June 24, 2022. The US Supreme Court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion has cleared the way for states. to ban and ban abortion – and would set off a series of legal battles. (AP Photo/Rick Bomer).
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After an hour, the small group left the field. Organizer Caleb Gisbrecht said that despite disagreeing with abortion, he admires the other group’s passion.
Gisbrecht said, “I don’t hate any person … I have a deep admiration for them, despite having a deep distance for their beliefs.”
Winnipeg police were monitoring the groups, however, they did not intervene.
Julie Gard says she has been protesting for reproductive rights since the 1970s, and that the reversal of Roe v. Wade should worry everyone in Canada.
“People here are feeling empowered (to protest) to withdraw the rights for which women have fought so much,” the guard said.
Guard says he believes most Canadians support abortion, but people should be cautious.
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