More than 100 people gathered outside Riverside City Hall for the event. “I can't even express into words know how angry I feel, how frustrated I feel, I can't imagine somebody telling me you can't have an abortion," said Riverside resident Tamara Kemp.
Despite the supreme court ruling, abortion will remain legal in California and at least 20 other states.
“If the roles were reversed and men had to carry the babies, this would not even be a conversation. This is our bodies. How can you tell somebody what they can and cannot do," Kemp added.
Also present at the event was Riverside city councilmember, Clarissa Cervantes. The topic of abortion is a personal one for her. “I came out here today because as I mentioned in my speech to the crowd... I had a choice to choose to be a mother, when I chose to have my daughter and I couldn't imagine not having that choice," Cervantes said.
Cervantes added that if people want continued abortion support in California, they need to elect pro-choice officials, even at the local level. “Things could very much change in our state and I think that's something that we need to recognize that it's a privilege right now," Cervantes said. "We've worked so hard to have the representation we do right now to be a democratic state, but those democratic values are what are what's giving us the fundamental freedom to choose.”
Only one counter-protestor was present at the event, with no altercations reported.
