• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
HealthRoe v. Wade

‘Abortion on demand & without apology’: pro- and anti-choice activists react with tears outside Supreme Court on the day it overturned Roe v. Wade

By
Alex Scimecca
Alex Scimecca
and
Christine Mui
Christine Mui
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alex Scimecca
Alex Scimecca
and
Christine Mui
Christine Mui
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 24, 2022, 11:32 AM ET
Pro-choice demonstrators react to the Supreme Court's decision on Friday.
Pro-choice demonstrators react to the Supreme Court's decision on Friday.Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

Crowds of pro-choice and antiabortion protesters gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Friday morning after justices overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. 

Demonstrators faced off holding signs and banners with opposing messages—“abortion on demand & without apology” and “dismember roe”— while others stormed the streets with megaphones. The crowd began as a pre-planned anti-abortion rally, attended briefly by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and grew as counterprotesters and others awaiting the decision joined.

“I feel betrayed, and I feel lost,” 19-year-old Skye told NBC. “Hopefully, in the future, we can have some progress and not just be moving backward.”  

Another said they scaled Washington, D.C.’s Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to fly a green banner, a color associated with the fight for abortion rights, from the top of one of its arches.

A pro-life supporter declared “This is amazing. This is probably the best day in American history in my lifetime!” to TalkTV. 

The much-anticipated decision has brought a consistent group of protesters in front of the Supreme Court on weekdays that the court has scheduled to release an opinion. Protesters have also marched regularly near the justices’ houses in the D.C. area.

Here is what it looked like outside of the Supreme Court on the day that the justice overturned the national right to an abortion. 

Anti-abortion activists celebrate.
Gemunu Amarasinghe—AP Images
A celebration outside the Supreme Court.
Steve Helber—AP Images
An abortion rights demonstrator outside the Supreme Court.
Samuel Corum—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Pro-life activists react at the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
Activists react outside the Supreme Court.
Brandon Bell—Getty Images
Protest demonstration outside the Supreme Court.
Steve Helber—AP Images
People protest the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, June 24, 2022, outside the Supreme Court.
Steve Helber—AP Images
Anti-abortion campaigners celebrate outside the Supreme Court.
Olivier Douliery—AFP/Getty Images
Pro-choice supporters react outside the Supreme Court.
Olivier Douliery—AFP/Getty Images
A pro-life supporter reacts outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC.
Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images
Members of the House of Representatives walk from the Capitol to the Supreme Court to protest its abortion decision.
Steve Helber—AP Images
Pro-life supporters celebrate outside the US Supreme Court.
Olivier Douliery—AFP/Getty Images

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Authors
By Alex Scimecca
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Christine Mui
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

joaquin
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Johnson & Johnson CEO: America’s innovation advantage starts with health 
By Joaquin DuatoMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
You’re probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here’s what you absolutely must not do, experts say
PoliticsCoronavirus
You’re probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here’s what you absolutely must not do, experts say
By Catherina GioinoMay 8, 2026
2 days ago
The Best Online Personal Trainers of 2026: In-Depth Workout Coaching at Home
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Online Personal Trainers of 2026: In-Depth Workout Coaching at Home
By Emily PharesMay 8, 2026
2 days ago
naomi
Commentarymental health
Naomi Osaka: the things I didn’t do to succeed
By Naomi OsakaMay 8, 2026
2 days ago
collins
PoliticsElections
73-year-old Susan Collins has been a senator for decades. She only just disclosed a benign essential tremor
By Patrick Whittle, Kimberlee Kruesi and The Associated PressMay 7, 2026
3 days ago
Addiction, emotional distress, dread of dull tasks: AI models ‘seem to increasingly behave’ as though they’re sentient, worrying study shows
AIScience
Addiction, emotional distress, dread of dull tasks: AI models ‘seem to increasingly behave’ as though they’re sentient, worrying study shows
By Catherina GioinoMay 7, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
Future of Work
'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
By Jake AngeloMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
Politics
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
By Jason MaMay 9, 2026
23 hours ago
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
Success
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
‘This is the way’: Elon Musk endorses Warren Buffett’s famed 5-minute plan to fix the national debt
Economy
‘This is the way’: Elon Musk endorses Warren Buffett’s famed 5-minute plan to fix the national debt
By Jacqueline MunisMay 10, 2026
4 hours ago
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
Future of Work
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
The federal government must issue more debt than it expected as cash flow weakens, and 'the bond market is shouting'
Investing
The federal government must issue more debt than it expected as cash flow weakens, and 'the bond market is shouting'
By Jason MaMay 9, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.