WASHINGTON — The battle over abortion rights drove out thousands of demonstrators to the streets of the nation's capital for this year's Women's March exactly one month before the midterm elections.
The event was branded "Women's Wave" which is focused on voting for pro-choice candidates and more women across the country.
Demonstrators chanted, "We won't go back! We won't go back!" as speakers took the stage at Folger Park where the group first rallied before marching to the U.S. Capitol.
"Women should be able to decide for themselves. Abortion is a medical procedure. It should be decided between a woman and her physician, period," said Dr. Alicia Sussman, an OBGYN that marched with her entire family.
In a press release, Rachel Carmona, the Executive Director of the Women's March said, "women and activists across the country have never felt more urgency to turn up and speak out against the political forces that have banned their rights to make life-changing decisions about their own bodies. We are fired up to elect more women and pro-choice candidates around the country into office who will protect reproductive freedoms and reject proposals aimed at restricting abortions."
A group of friends told WUSA9 that they felt compelled to partake in their first protest following the repeal of Roe. "What would come next after the fall of Roe v. Wade? Contraception? LGBTQ rights?" one said. All three have recently turned 18 and plan to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
"I just had a sister who was born like three weeks ago. I don't want her to grow up in a world where she can't make decisions for herself," said another member of the group.
Anti-abortion protesters stood at the sidelines of the rally and march route chanting "Abortion betrays women! Women deserve better!" and "What about the baby?" The presence of the counter protesters and other conservative groups led to shouting matches between demonstrators on both sides of the abortion issue.
As the crowd moved down towards the capitol, Allie Alvis stood by and smiled. The D.C. resident says she is recovering from pneumonia so she was unable to partake in the march. She says she participated in the 2017 Women's March in Washington and wondered if the movement would maintain the momentum.
"Seeing all these people coming out for these issues with all of these signs and being so mobilized and with the election coming up on the eighth. It gives me a lot of hope and I hope this translates in the polls," said Alvis to WUSA9.