Abortion rights protesters cheered through London

by Oscar Parry, Enfield and Lea Valley Socialist Party

More than 2,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square on 9 July to protest for the right to an abortion, following the US Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade. We set off towards the American Embassy, with widespread support from passing cars, buses and taxis honking their horns and passers-by cheering on the protesters.

Abortion rights protest London
Abortion rights protest in London 9 July.
Photo Mary Finch

A large segment of the crowd were Americans. The general consensus among them was that the Democrats bear a lot of responsibility for this state of affairs; they had the opportunity to make abortion rights protected by law and did not do so.

Many felt that the idea of ‘pro-choice’ extended beyond codifying the right to an abortion in law. The right to maternity and paternity leave, a minimum wage of at least £15 an hour, and decent public housing are all key elements in being able to raise children, without fear of not being able to afford to do so.

Many protesters voiced concern that even when abortion was legal in the US, working-class people, and other oppressed groups without health insurance, could not afford to access clinics.

There can be no confidence in the pro-big business Democratic Party to defend abortion rights. In Britain and the US, we need a new mass workers’ party, with a socialist programme that will champion affordable abortion and a real right to choose.