Hundreds of people demonstrate in Amsterdam for the right to abortion
The solidarity action comes in response to a leaked draft decision by the US Supreme Court that came out this week.
If that decision becomes final, the federal right to abortion, which has been enshrined since 1973, would be reversed. It is expected that abortion will be banned after six weeks, especially in conservative states. Women often do not know that they are pregnant yet.
Solidarity
The demonstrators on Dam Square want to show solidarity with women in the US. As US states have abortions, women who want one must go to a clinic outside their state. Sometimes they have to travel more than a thousand kilometers, which is often not possible, especially for women with a smaller purse.
The demonstrators also want to see that they guard the right to abortion in the Netherlands. According to the protesters, many things around abortion are also not properly regulated. For example, abortion is still part of the criminal code.
‘Anti-abortion lobby’
One of the speakers on Dam Square is experience expert de Goeij, who told those present about the period that takes place during her pregnancy and wanted to plan. De Goeij, chairman of the Ava foundation that supports people around a possible abortion, warned against the ‘strong anti-abortion lobby’ that is being conducted in the Netherlands.
For example, abortion clinics in the Netherlands have to deal with anti-abortion activists who harass and even scold visitors.
In the Netherlands, a number of rules regarding abortion are currently being amended. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives voted to abolish the statutory cooling-off period and to make it possible for general practitioners to prescribe an abortion pill.
In this video from January, before the vote in the House, activist Eva de Goeij explains why she thinks it is important that the reflection period disappears: