'This Isn't Just A Problem For Texas Women': 5th Annual Women's March Focuses On Fight For Abortions Rights
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thousands of people turned out to take a stand for abortions rights Saturday at the fifth annual Women's March.
Rallies were held in hundreds of cities across the country, including New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
As CBS2's Thalia Perez reports, organizers said they were motivated by a law that went into effect in September in Texas, which bans nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Chanting and holding up signs, dozens in New York stood up for abortion rights.
"We need to make sure that Roe v. Wade is federally protected," one speaker said.
"We've been extremely complacent, and there is a false sense of comfort that just because we're in New York, it's not gonna come here," Brooklyn resident Vanessa Giraldo said.
"I have a really great friend that lives in Austin. I think, you know, it's really scary to be there right now because you really can't have access to abortion there right now and it's terrifying," Long Island City resident Jessica Hazard said.
They rallied and then marched from Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge to Foley Square in Manhattan.
"It's unfair ... It scares us because we've heard of the horror stories of what happened before we were born from our parents," protester Jodi Roberts said.
Carah Cronin-Fink was one of the activists who helped to organize the New York City effort.
"We are all in this together. They are outnumbered. It is a human issue, and we need to stand up for it together," she said.
Up in Albany, at another rally, Gov. Kathy Hochul addressed a crowd.
"I'm sick and tired of having to fight over abortion rights. It's settled law in the nation, and you are not taking that right away from us," she said.
Some demonstrators ended their march in Washington Square Park to show solidarity with women in Texas.
"Everyone loves someone who has, at some point, had an abortion, I think. It's not just me, it's everyone. It's a family member, a friend, a colleague, someone," said Gabriel Ellis, of Woodside.
Ellis and Lauren Silverman rallied together. Ellis says both men and women can relate to the importance of abortion rights and he says demonstrations like this should continue.
"It's actually a war against all of us, and we are literally on the front lines fighting that war," protester Megan Curet said.
"I feel like this needs to be a consistent movement, every day, millions and millions of women. This isn't just a problem for Texas women. This is for everyone," Giraldo said.
Many say they expect more rallies to come and everyone agrees that there is power in numbers.
CBS2's Thalia Perez contributed to this report.
