On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which enshrined the federally guaranteed right to an abortion.
While abortion remains legal in Colorado after the state legislature enshrined it into law this year, local Democratic leaders condemned the decision from the conservative majority of the court. Mayor Michael Hancock called it "a devastating and a dangerous reversal of precedent."
Congress woman Diana DeGette joined protesters as they marched to the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., Friday morning.
"Every pregnancy is different," DeGette wrote on Twitter. "Every situation is unique. Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own decisions about their health, lives & future. At every turn & every possible opportunity, we will fight this -- not only to restore the protection of Roe, but to expand it."
But the decision in the so-called Dobbs case is the joyful culmination of years of work from anti-abortion advocates and religious leaders. The head of the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, called Roe v. Wade a "dark cloud over our country" for nearly 50 years.
"In this life, we will never know the unrepeatable gifts they would have brought to our families, communities, and world," he wrote in a statement. "But for those same 50 years, millions of Catholics have prayed unceasingly and worked tirelessly to promote a culture of life and for an end to the evil that is abortion."
Protesters are expected to take to the streets near the state Capitol Friday evening. Separately, police anticipate upwards of 25,000 people to be downtown tonight to watch the Colorado Avalanche take on the Tampa Bay Lightening during the Stanley Cup Final.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
