NEW YORK (PIX 11)— New Yorkers were encouraged to channel their “rage into action” at an abortion-rights rally in Lower Manhattan Tuesday afternoon, said City Comptroller Brad Lander.
Lander tweeted about the rally, which started at 5 p.m. in Foley Square. He urged protesters to wear green.
“We must keep fighting for a democracy (with) autonomy for all.” Lander said in a tweet.
Minutes before the protest was set to begin, protestors like Thomas Basgil were packed inside the square. Police estimated there were at least 3,000 people gathered.
Protestors gather before a rally at Foley Square in Manhattan. (Credit: Thomas Basgil/Twitter) 
An attendee at a Manhattan abortion rights rally shows an accessory. (Credit: Dr. Leta Hong Fincher/Twitter) 
Protestors gather at a rally at Foley Square in Manhattan. (Credit: Dr. Leta Hong Fincher/Twitter)
New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who attended the rally, shared her own personal experience having an abortion. She called the current situation a “five-alarm fire.”
“We will not go backwards,” an impassioned James said Tuesday. “We will not go back into those days when we used wire hangers — not now, not ever.”
The demonstration came on the heels of a leaked Supreme Court draft threatening to overturn the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade. The document was published Monday night by Politico and has triggered strong reactions from local politicians.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams assured New Yorkers abortion rights will remain legal in the state.
“New York City knows a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions are hers and hers alone… We’re ready to fight like hell,” Adams said in a tweet.
If overturned, it will be up to the individual states to decide whether they allow or ban abortion. In New York, the right will remain protected. The 2019 Reproductive Healthcare Act preserves abortions and decriminalizes the procedure for patients and the doctors who perform them.
The court opinion is just a draft and the final decision could come in July.
People protest in reaction to the leak of the US Supreme Court draft abortion ruling on May 3, 2022 in New York city. – The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections. The draft, obtained by Politico, was written by Justice Samuel Alito, and has been circulated inside the conservative-dominated court, the news outlet reported. Politico stressed that the document it obtained is a draft and opinions could change. The court is expected to issue a decision by June. The draft opinion calls the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision “egregiously wrong from the start.” (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) 
People protest in reaction to the leak of the US Supreme Court draft abortion ruling on May 3, 2022 in New York city. – The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections. The draft, obtained by Politico, was written by Justice Samuel Alito, and has been circulated inside the conservative-dominated court, the news outlet reported. Politico stressed that the document it obtained is a draft and opinions could change. The court is expected to issue a decision by June. The draft opinion calls the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision “egregiously wrong from the start.” (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) 
People protest in reaction to the leak of the US Supreme Court draft abortion ruling on May 3, 2022 in New York city. – The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections. The draft, obtained by Politico, was written by Justice Samuel Alito, and has been circulated inside the conservative-dominated court, the news outlet reported. Politico stressed that the document it obtained is a draft and opinions could change. The court is expected to issue a decision by June. The draft opinion calls the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision “egregiously wrong from the start.” (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) 
Protesters rally in support of abortion rights, Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in New York. A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
