'Bans Off Our Bodies' Rally And March Held In Downtown Denver

DENVER (CBS4)- Saturday morning, abortion-rights supporters descended on the Colorado State Capitol. They were there to express their opposition to the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft that seemed to indicate the Court would overturn Roe v Wade.

"It's terrifying," said demonstrator Catherine Buckland.

She and Marie Schnell made their trip a family affair because they want to protect their daughters' futures.

"I really believe that they should be able to grow up with the same rights that we did and our mothers did," said Buckland.

Demonstrators said the rally was about protecting the rights of all women, but they all also understood some communities will be hit harder than others if access to women's health care is limited.

"That's the Latinx community, that's the Black community, that's the indigenous community, and that's the low-income community," said Bianey Bermudez with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.

A handful of anti-abortion rights demonstrators showed up, but they weren't given a warm welcome.

"It was hostile," said anti-abortion rights advocate Dmitri Oehling. "I've had my sign ripped out of my hands I had thrown to the street. I had run in the street to get it. They tried ripping this out and I think they actually broke this, too."

They say they just wanted to come to speak out for the unborn and didn't want to cause a scene.

"We talk about women's rights, but we never ever stopped to say 'What about the child's rights?'" said anti-abortion rights demonstrator Catherine Bernhardt.

By afternoon the anti-abortion rights crowd left, and the rally turned into a march, because abortion rights supporters wanted to make sure the whole downtown Denver area heard their message.

"We know at the end of the day, the people that are going to have access to abortion can get that, but we need to fight for everybody," said Bermudez.