Huge protest at US abortion bans as South Australian politicians set to attend ‘pro-life’ event

Around 5000 people have gathered at a noisy pro-abortion rally in Adelaide as prominent politicians planned to attend a pro-life event on Saturday.

Thousands of people have taken over King William Rd to protest at the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Protesters flocked to the city holding signs and coat hangers, chanting against the decision. They gathered at Rundle Mall, walked to Victoria Square and back up to Parliament House.

Police were present at the two-hour event, which they said was largely peaceful.

One man was arrested for disorderly behaviour while attending the protest.

Protest organiser Ana Obradovic was leading the chants, with the thousands of protesters screaming: “abortion is a human right, we are all here to fight!”

Other chants included: “Pro-life is a lie, you don’t care if people die”, “No uterus. No opinion” and “My body. My choice”

Thousands participate in the Solidarity Abortion Rights Rally in Adelaide. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Around 5000 people congregated on the stairs of Parliament House where speakers addressed the crowd.

Ms Obradovic, president of the Adelaide University student council, said she was proud to see “angry and determined people to fight the bigots all the way”.

She also announced a gathering will be held at the Thebarton Community Centre on Saturday, to protest against the “pro-life” event that Opposition Leader David Speirs will be speaking at.

Earlier, Ms Obradovic explained the rationale behind the protests.

“We are marching this Friday because Roe v Wade shows none of our rights are guaranteed,” Ms Obradovic said.

She said that they are marching against “the normalisation of right-wing attacks, here and overseas”.

Greens MLC Tammy Franks took to the parliament steps to thank all the protesters for coming out “on such short notice”.

“The overturning of Roe v Wade sends chills down so many Australian spines,” she said.

“We cannot take for granted our reproductive rights that have been hard fought and won,” she said.

Ms Franks said that Opposition Leader David Speirs “pretends that he’s pro-choice”.

“He pretends that he supports decriminalisation of abortion. We’ll call out David Spears tomorrow.”

While Ms Franks will not be in attendance at the second protest on Saturday at Thebarton Community Centre, she encouraged protesters to attend.

Lawyer and women’s rights activist, Claire O’Connor took to the stage to say that similar protests were taking place generations ago.

“We will not be lied to. We will tell the truth and the truth is it’s my body and hands off it,” she said.

Zoe Keys from the South Australian Abortion Action Coalition spoke to the 5000 protesters, with her daughter on her back calling on those with means to donate to US charities supporting women to have safe abortions.

Thousands participate in the Solidarity Abortion Rights Rally in Adelaide. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Secretary of the Ambulance Employees Association and executive of SA Unions, Leah Watkins said that “abortion is healthcare”.

“Safe, accessible, quality healthcare is a human right,” she said.

“Reproductive decisions, medicinal decisions – those should be the right of every individual to make their own informed decisions in line with their own beliefs.”

She said that the US decision did not eliminate abortions, it eliminated safe abortions.

“We stand proudly with you as part of the union, fighting the reproductive rights to keep our reproductive rights, I just stand in solidarity with those in America as they fight to get those back.”

MPS AT ANTI-ABORTION RALLY AS US CULTURE WARS COME TO ADELAIDE

Several prominent South Australian politicians are expected to attend a pro-life event on Saturday.

Opposition Leader David Speirs is among a number of politicians scheduled to attend the Enid Lyons List event at Torrensville. He will join Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven, upper house Liberal MPs Heidi Girolamo and Dennis Hood, SA Best MLC Frank Pangallo and Family First national chairman Tom Kenyon.

The event is billed as a discussion to find “solutions to the critical issues and challenges that confront us as we face the most pro-abortion laws in Australia’s history”.

“We need to activate a new generation to rise up and fight for the human rights of the unborn and for greater support and proper health care for their mothers,” a flyer states.

It is understood Mr Speirs will attend the event before campaigning at the Bragg by-election poll.

South Australia Liberal leader David Speirs.

Mr Speirs said the event was a “youth leader training day” and that he would be attending the event in his capacity as a leader to discuss his political career.

He said he was neither “pro-life” nor “pro-choice” and remained supportive of the current legislation in South Australia.

“I’m on public record indicating my strong support of the decriminalisation of abortion, however I’ve always believed late-term abortion should have appropriate restrictions in place to protect unborn children,” he said.

He said the Liberal Party had no plans to push any anti-abortion legislation.

“My voting record on the matter of late-term abortion is the same as that of (Premier) Peter Malinauskas,” he said.

Parliament records reveal Mr Speirs voted against the termination of pregnancy bill in 2021, which decriminalised abortion and allowed late-term abortion under certain provisions, while Mr Malinauskas voted in favour.

Kalesh Govender, Maddy Tapley, Ana Obradovic, Harvey Menadue and Anna Nguyen will be protesting in Rundle Mall. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Greens MLC Tammy Franks earlier called the US decision “chilling”.

“It has horrified many Australian people,” she said.

“We have every reason to stand in solidarity – it may well happen in Adelaide,” Ms Franks said.

Since the overturn of the ruling, US states can determine whether women can have legal abortions.

In anticipation of the decision, 13 states had already established “trigger bans” which took effect automatically after the overturn or are set to in the coming weeks with more set to ban abortion in the future.

Originally published as Huge protest at US abortion bans as South Australian politicians set to attend ‘pro-life’ event