Roe v. Wade Protest Jams L.A. Freeway as Activists Swarm U.S. Cities

Protesters fuming over the demise of national abortion rights took to a Los Angeles freeway as demonstrators nationwide flooded streets and state Capitol steps.

Cities across the U.S. saw protests erupt on Friday after the Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections in its Dobbs v. Jackson opinion. The demonstrations are the initial reaction against the Court’s decision and is expected to generate ongoing backlash.

Thousands of abortion-rights protesters took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon, reports ABC affiliate KABC-TV. A group of protesters later marched onto Freeway 110 blocking one lane of traffic, the station reports.

Earlier, an abortion-rights protester scaled the top of the Frederick Douglass Bridge in Washington, D.C., briefly shutting down traffic in both directions. The Metropolitan Police Department also said it was initiating a full department activation through Tuesday in response to ongoing protests.

Protesters on Friday morning also crowded outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, reports WAMU. Demonstrators in the area led chants of, “Never again we won’t go back,” according to DCist.

A handful of anti-abortion activists argued with the demonstrators, with one group blasting War’s 1975 song “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” according to the New York Post. Some protesters reacted angrily to the Court’s decision and blamed Democratic Party leadership for not doing more to protect abortion rights.

“They promised to codify Roe v. Wade and they did s**t,” said McKayla Wilkes, who is mounting a primary challenge to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, according to the Post. She added, “F**k voting for somebody because they have a ‘D’ next to their name or ‘R’ next to their name.”

As the sun set, a group of black-clad protesters marched through the streets chanting radical and confrontational slogans, according to the Post.