About 65 people on the abortion rights side and 14 on the abortion opponents’ side held dual demonstrations in downtown Ottawa late this afternoon to early evening. They held signs along LaSalle St. by Washington Square.
Karen Lindenmeyer believes banning abortion is the first step on a slippery slope toward a loss of other rights. Lindenmeyer believes it could lead to denying voting rights to Blacks and denying education to transgender youth.
Andrew Moore, with the abortion opponents, says the position is only about abortion. He says abortion leads to the death of a child and that separates it from other issues.
The abortion rights demonstration was organized by Stand With Planned Parenthood Ottawa, Illinois. Some of the people who attended aren’t with the organization. They said they heard about the event and showed up for it. The opponents are with Stand For Life Ottawa. The two groups didn’t interact much, if at all.
Some of the abortion rights demonstrators at one of the demonstrations in Ottawa’s Washington Park on May 11, 2022
Some of the abortion opponents in downtown Ottawa on May 11, 2022