By Nicole
Acevedo
The Women's March organization gathered this Saturday in the streets of the nation's capital to "fight for the right to abortion," as nearly two dozen states prepare to ban the procedure after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
Wade two weeks ago.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Franklin Square this Saturday morning and headed to the White House in the afternoon.
The goal of the demonstration is to pressure the Joe Biden government to declare a national public health emergency on the issue and take executive action to protect the right to abortion, according to Women's March.
Activists in favor of the right to abortion demonstrate in front of the White House, in Washington DC, on July 9, 2022.Jose Luis Magana / AP
The rally came a day after Biden signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to increase access to abortion pills and protect access to emergency medical care and family planning services, including several types of contraceptives, the White House explained in a press release.
The order also seeks to protect patients' privacy and access to accurate information about their reproductive rights, as well as promote the safety of patients, providers and clinics, the White House said.
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“Yesterday was a good first step, but it's just that, a first step,” Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women's March, said during the rally in Washington, DC.
"We know that President Biden's authority has limits, but we want him to push that authority to the limit," she added.
An emergency declaration can unlock additional funds and resources to help local governments meet the demand for reproductive health services, according to Women's March.
It may also open the door for the federal government to use additional resources to curb the negative impact of abortion bans in various states.
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Louisiana banned abortion on Friday
, becoming the 10th state to void that right.
Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida have so far restricted access to abortion, but have not outlawed the procedure outright.
Eight other states have pending abortion bans that could go into effect this year.
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania, one of 21 states where abortion is still legal, took the first step toward including the right in the state constitution, giving voters a chance to vote on the initiative.
Against this backdrop, abortion rights advocates in Washington have stepped up their efforts to pressure the Biden Administration.
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Abortion rights activists stage a sit-in outside the White House security fence to denounce the Supreme Court's decision to end federal abortion rights protections, Saturday, July 9, 2022, in Washington. DC. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
Instead of organizing a massive march similar to the one last May after the leak of the Supreme Court ruling that annulled Roe v.
Wade, Women's March called
Saturday's protests an act of "targeted civil disobedience
," and even trained attendees of the event in anticipation of arrests.
Hannah Warren traveled from New Jersey to Washington DC to demonstrate this Saturday.
On Friday night she attended a training session.
“Everyone felt calm.
Annoyed, angry, furious, yes.
But don't worry," Warren told NBC News.
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Protesters poured into the White House in the rain, many wearing green bandannas and chanting, "Bans off our bodies" and "
Stand up
, Joe Biden."
They also sat in front of the White House fence for about 45 minutes.
No arrests had been reported as of Saturday afternoon.