Quick Hit:

Demonstrators protesting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) took to the streets of Chicago over the weekend dressed as abortion pills, chanting "f*** the courts, f*** the state."

Key Details:

• Protesters, some dressed as abortion pills with "MIFE" and "MISO" written on their outfits, marched through Chicago ahead of the Democratic National Convention that begins Monday, August 19th.

• The demonstrators chanted phrases like "F*** the courts, f*** the state, you can't make us procreate" as they expressed their opposition to abortion restrictions, though Illinois, a predominately Democratic state, has lax abortion laws.

• The protest also included an acoustic sing-along where participants sang, "My body, my body/My choice, my choice."

Diving Deeper:

Protesters in Chicago took to the streets ahead of the Democratic National Convention, marching in a unique form of demonstration. According to a report by Breitbart, some of the demonstrators were dressed as abortion pills, specifically mifepristone ("MIFE") and misoprostol ("MISO"), the two drugs used in medication abortions. The protesters were seen chanting aggressively against the state and courts, with one chant proclaiming, "F*** the courts, f*** the state, you can't make us procreate."

The march also featured an acoustic sing-along where the crowd voiced their support for reproductive rights with the refrain, "My body, my body/My choice, my choice." The protest comes as the DNC is set to begin in Chicago, from August 19th to August 22th. The issue of abortion has remained a significant point of contention within the Democratic Party since the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, returning the authority to regulate abortion to individual states.

The Supreme Court's ruling has sparked ongoing debates, with prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden, warning of potential national abortion bans if former President Donald Trump returns to office. Trump, however, has stated that the issue of abortion should be left to the states, emphasizing that the "will of the people" should guide legislation on this deeply divisive topic.