Protesters gather in Raleigh in response to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

Hundreds of people gathered on Bicentennial Plaza Friday evening to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As people lined up to prepare signs at a table, someone in the crowd started call-and-response chants of “my rights, my uterus” and “my body, my choice.”

One sign said “We won’t go back” with a wire coat hanger taped to the poster board, an allusion to the dangerous methods sometimes used to perform abortions before Roe v. Wade made the procedure legal in 1973.

The crowd continued to grow into the evening, stretching the length of at least three city blocks.

Kendra R. Johnson, the executive director of Equality NC, told the crowd that “caring for each other is not enough,” in the court ruling. “We’ve got to get ready to vote,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get ready to respond, we’ve got to get our people to the polls.”

She said she knew the ruling was coming, but still it left her enraged.

“Make no mistake,” Johnson said, “our opposition is coming for our very lives.”

Ashley Ju, president of the Cary Chapter of March For Our Lives, a group that supports gun control laws, criticized the Supreme Court for repealing state restrictions on concealed-carry permits one day and overturning Roe v. Wade the next.

Friday’s decision means that abortions are now subject to greater regulation than AR-15 assault rifles, said Ju, who praised Gov. Roy Cooper for speaking in support of abortion on a state level.

Victoria Smith, the founder of the Wake County Black Student Coalition, called on people in the crowd to stay active and urged them to donate money to abortion funds and mutual aid groups.

“Restrictions on abortion rights will make it harder and more expensive for people to get the health care they need and deserve,” Smith said.

Dani Hoffpauir, a field organizer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, called on people to vote for abortion-rights advocates in November’s elections and to donate to abortion funds.

“We are not safe,” Hoffpauir said, calling on attendees to have a sense of urgency. “I do not want you to leave here today thinking we are OK.”

Chris and Sarah Chesser brought their two children, ages 6 and 4, to the march, where they said they hoped to teach them to stand up as activists.

“People have their rights and their choices about their own bodies — which is something we taught them from an early age — and that people’s medical decisions are for them to keep,” Chris Chesser said.

The Chessers conceived through in vitro fertilization, which some media reports say could be affected by the broad language of some state abortion bans.

“It’s been a depressing day,” Sarah Chesser said. “I knew it was coming, but it still hit hard.”

Mary Lumpkin, a clinic escort with Triangle Abortion Access Coalition, said she was “pleasantly surprised” by turnout to the march.

The Cary resident said she hopes the event helped spread awareness of the continued legality of abortion in North Carolina, despite Friday’s ruling.

In the coming days, she said, the coalition and other groups will continue to organize rallies and promote abortion funds and voter registration.

“We have a lot of coalitions on the ground who have been dealing with this for decades,” she said. “It’s not just about abortion. It’s about having control of your own body, being able to be a person and not having to worry if you’re illegal or not.”

Abortions are still legal in North Carolina, as the state was not among the 13 that have passed “trigger laws” that would have made the procedure illegal upon the Supreme Court’s decision. But the state also does not have laws on the books that protect the right to an abortion.

And hours after the decision was released, the Republican leaders of the North Carolina legislature — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — called on Attorney General Josh Stein to reinstate North Carolina’s 20-week abortion ban, vowing to take steps to do so themselves if necessary. A judge had ruled that ban unconstitutional in 2019.

North Carolina law mandates that anyone seeking an abortion needs to receive state-mandated counseling and undergo a 72-hour waiting period. The patient must also receive an ultrasound.

Republican leaders in the N.C. General Assembly have signaled that they do not intend to pursue more stringent abortion restrictions in the current short session, in large part because they do not hold a veto-proof majority. Gov. Cooper, a Democrat, supports women’s rights to choose whether to have an abortion.

Initial reactions from community leaders, including faith leaders, has been mixed, with some condemning the decision and some celebrating a pro-life victory.

Earlier Friday, volunteers with Triangle Abortion Access set up signs overlooking I-40 , the N&O previously reported, reminding passerby that for now, abortions remain legal in North Carolina.