Rep. Eric Swalwell leads abortion rights protest at Planned Parenthood clinic in East Bay

Saturday, June 25, 2022
HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- Protests continued in the Bay Area Saturday over the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Congressman Eric Swalwell showed up at one rally to express his outrage.

More than 100 people stood outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Hayward Saturday to protest the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of national abortion rights.

"I came because I'm angry, my anger is building," said Ellen Griffin from Castro Valley.

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"Women all across the country deserve the right to be able to choose what they want to choose when it comes to their body," said Devera Jackson Garner from Oakland.

"We are here to say that we are not going to stand for the stripping of a woman's right to make her own health care decisions," said East Bay Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell.

Swallwell told the crowd that the high court's ruling won't impact abortions in California, but warns that could change.

"We are a temporary sanctuary because the intent of Republicans is a Federal ban and we are one presidential election away on a Federal ban, are we going to let that happen? Hell no," Swalwell told the crowd.

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As states begin to enact abortion bans and trigger laws, this Hayward clinic says it's been helping women from across state lines since last year.

"We've seen double the amount of patients coming from out of state since September to receive abortion care services," said Candelaria Vargas from Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.

On Friday, thousands marched and rallied in San Francisco to protest the end of constitutional protections for abortions, from Civic Center to the Ferry Building. In Hayward, Carl Thompson was vowing his support like others supported him during protests surrounding the death of George Floyd.

"I bet you if you were to ask these people, they were out here in 2020 fighting for the rights of people like me, so I thought I'd come out and fight for their rights," Thompson said.

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