By: Nina Samone
Tuesday’s WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx was momentarily halted when a group of topless protestors bolted onto the court to voice their frustrations on the potential overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling.
Some of the women were completely topless, some covered in green paint and others held large green signs that read things like, “Overturn Roe? Hell no!” and “Abortion on demand & without apology.”
The protestors – a group called Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights – posted on social media after the events of the evening, calling on those with the power to do so to stop the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The protestors marched and were met by applause and video recordings from some onlookers but were eventually dragged out by security – one even by their hair.
There protest sparked applause and praise from others on social media, some posting things like, “We have the right to free agency over our bodies,” and “read the fine print [people].”
Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights also carried out public protests at a Mets-Dodgers baseball game in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Abortion rights protests have been one of the most popular at sporting events recently, especially since the leaked Supreme Court draft seemed to lean towards overturning Roe v. Wade – it has been recognized as a constitutional right at the federal level since 1973.
Sources:
Shakhnazarova, Nika. June 8th, 2022. New York Post. “Topless pro-choice protestors run onto court at WNBA game in Brooklyn.” <https://nypost.com/2022/06/08/topless-pro-choice-protesters-crash-wnba-game-at-barclays-center-in-brooklyn/>
Walsh, Erin. June 7th, 2022. Bleacher Report. “Abortion-Rights Activists Get Pulled Off Court During Lynx vs. Liberty.” <https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10038034-abortion-rights-activists-get-standing-ovation-during-lynx-vs-liberty>
