Hundreds expected at abortion rights rally in Phoenix, joining demonstrations nationwide

Hundreds of people have signed up to attend a march at the Arizona Capitol on Saturday morning, joining other demonstrations in other cities across the country to rally support for candidates who support protecting reproductive rights one month before the midterm elections.

The rally, organized by Women's March, is scheduled to go from 10 a.m. to noon at Wesley Bowling Plaza outside the state Capitol. More than 370 people have signed up for the demonstration on Women's March's website as of Friday afternoon.

Rachel Carmona, the executive editor of Women's March, said it was imperative that people show up during the midterms and vote for candidates who have sworn to protect abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“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,” Carmona said in a written statement. "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. We are down to the 11th hour."

The demonstration comes on the heels of the Arizona Court of Appeals' decision to put on hold a territorial law from 1864 that bans nearly all abortions in the state until a full appeal of an earlier ruling on it is heard.

Planned Parenthood Arizona's president and CEO, Brittany Fonteno, said in a statement that abortions in its clinics would resume. But she warned that the law could still be later ruled valid.

"While today's ruling brings temporary respite to Arizonans, the ongoing threat of this extreme, near-total abortion ban that has no regard for the health care of those across the state, including survivors of rape or incest, remains very real," Fonteno said.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Abortion rights rally to be held at Arizona Capitol