Abortion in the District of Columbia
In 1971, in United States v. Vuitch, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law saying abortion was allowed for health reasons, which include "psychological and physical well-being".
On the anti-abortion side, March for Life takes place annually protesting both the practice and legality of abortion on or around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
[1] A law in Washington, D.C., which allowed abortion to protect the life or health of the woman, was challenged in the Supreme Court in 1971 in United States v. Vuitch.
The court upheld the law, deeming that "health" meant "psychological and physical well-being", essentially allowing abortion in Washington, D.C.[2] The 1971 case United States v. Vuitch involving a woman from the District of Columbia ruled that abortion can be legally justifiable for the mental health of the pregnant woman.
[6][7] In 2017, there was one Planned Parenthood clinic, which offered abortion services, in an area with a population of 200,588 women aged 15–49.
The Holy See initiated disciplinary measures against some of the nuns who signed the statement, sparking controversy among American Catholics, and intra-Catholic conflict on the abortion issue remained news for at least two years in the United States.
Women wanted to protest this activity as other state legislatures started to consider similar bans as part of a move to try to overturn Roe v.
[20] Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, anti-abortion and abortion-rights activists demonstrated outside the Supreme Court building.
[23] On July 4, 2022, abortion-rights protests were held across the country, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Springfield, Madison, Milwaukee, Lansing, Detroit, Bloomington, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Denver, Charlotte, Asheville, Atlanta, Roanoke, Birmingham, Tampa, Miami, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.
[28] On January 20, 2023, abortion-rights protesters disrupted an anti-abortion service in Washington, D.C.[29] On January 20, 2024, thousands of abortion-rights protesters rallied and marched at more than 100 Women's March events nationwide, with the main events held in Phoenix, Arizona and Washington, DC.
The march, whose stated mission is to "End abortion by uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square", advocates for overturning Roe v.
[42] It is followed by a march which travels down Constitution Avenue NW, turns right at First Street NE, and then ends on the steps of the Supreme Court, where another rally is held.
[43] The first March for Life, which was founded by Nellie Gray, was held on January 22, 1974, on the West Steps of the Capitol, with an estimated 20,000[44] supporters in attendance.
The march was originally intended to be a one-time event, in hopes that the Supreme Court would reverse Roe v. Wade immediately a year after its ruling.
"[46] On October 22, 2020, five anti-abortion protesters were arrested after forcing their way into a clinic in Washington, DC and blocking people from entering.
