Hundreds Rally at Tarrant County Courthouse After Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

Crowds gathered at the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday afternoon to protest the Supreme Court decision that, as of Friday, ended the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

Deborah Peoples, the Democratic candidate for county judge, urged those present to keep up the pressure. "We have to recommit ourselves. We have to stay focused. We have to be ready," she said, adding that the public must send the justices a message that they had made "the biggest mistake of their lives." The crowd responded with cheers.

Estimates of attendance varied widely, from 700 to 2,000 people. More than 600 had signed up for the event online.

The rally was organized by a local group, Bans Off Our Bodies, through the website We Won't Go Back. That platform has been behind hundreds of protests nationwide following the court's move to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old precedent.

Demonstrators assembled on the courthouse steps at noon, with temperatures above 100 degrees. They listened to a lineup of speakers that included District 9 City Councilmember Elizabeth Beck and Chris Nettles of District 8. Afterward, the group marched through downtown.

The crowd spanned generations, from high school students to older attendees who remembered earlier fights over the issue. Laurie Ward of Fort Worth, gesturing toward marchers on Main Street, said she was there for younger women. "These kids' rights have been stripped away. I'm too old. It's for them," she said, adding that the next generation would "have to fight like we did."

Younger participants spoke of the personal stakes. Brooke Barnes of Wichita Falls said her mother had her at 18, "and that was her choice. It was nobody's choice but hers." Barnes said she wants the same choices for herself, and she also voiced concern about her rights as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

That worry stems from Justice Clarence Thomas's majority opinion, in which he suggested the court reconsider other cases that built on Roe. He named the case guaranteeing the right to buy contraception, the law legalizing same-sex sexual activity, and the law legalizing gay marriage. Viviana Contreras, who married her spouse in 2015, said the fear is real. "We know that's next," she said. "It's anger and fear in one."

Speakers throughout the event encouraged attendees to register to vote, donate to organizations that connect people with abortion resources, and build community.

Abortion remains legal in Texas until cardiac activity is detected, but that is expected to change soon. The state has a "trigger law" banning abortion that is set to take effect roughly 30 days from the date of the rally.