Abortion Rights Rally Planned On LI Following Roe V. Wade Leak

Alessia Grunberger

Originally published in Patch

MINEOLA, NY — Hundreds of Long Islanders are expected to gather outside the Nassau County Courthouse on Saturday to protest the potential Supreme Court ruling that would strike down Roe v. Wade.

The 1973 landmark ruling — which established the constitutional right to abortion — has always been a subject of fierce debate across the country. But Monday's leaked Supreme Court draft opinion has reignited the political divide over abortion and raised the stakes for voters in November's midterm election.

With Roe v. Wade hanging in the balance, Long Islanders will be holding a rally on the front steps of the county courthouse in Mineola. The event is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday.

"Following the stunning revelation that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and turn back 50 years of progress on reproductive rights in America, Long Islanders are coming together as a community to express collective outrage and fight back against extremists who are hell-bent on taking away a woman's right to make decisions about her own body and her own health," an email from New York State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) read.

Kaplan will be attending Saturday's rally, along with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, members of both the Planned Parenthood Greater New York Action Fund and the Long Island Social Justice Action Network, and at least half a dozen state lawmakers.