Thousands march in Boston in protest against abortion restrictions

Hundreds of people marched through Boston on Saturday in support of abortion rights. 

Demonstrators initially met at the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Street for the march before proceeding to Quincy Market.

The event was a sister march of the national Women’s March organization, which has arranged many rallies nationwide over the weekend. The rally and march in Boston were scheduled to happen at the same with the national Women’s March in Washington D.C.

Organizers of the “Women’s Wave” event in Boston said they were protesting on Saturday in an effort to raise awareness about anti-abortion laws and drum up support for pro-choice candidates ahead of November’s midterms.

Some protestors spoke out about their own personal experiences with abortion. WBZ’s Mike Macklin was reporting from the match when reproductive rights advocate Jillian Watts talked about her decision to get a late-term abortion.

“It was a decision I made with my partner with the support from a team of healthcare professionals, a decision that should only be made between a patient and their healthcare team— it is not a decision that any politician has any business weighing in on,” Watts said.

Counter protests formed nearby, as pro-life protestors turned up with signs that said, “Our liberation cannot be bought with the blood of our children,” and “Adoption saves lives!”

“We believe that human life begins at conception, we believe human beings have human rights and it’s important to protect the right to life. If an entire group of people is being dehumanized that’s not empowerment, that’s just redistributing oppression to the pre-born and I think women can do better than that— women deserve better than that,” pro-life advocate Stephanie Louise said.