Abortion Rights Advocates Rally Outside Massachusetts State House

BOSTON (CBS) - Hundreds of demonstrators converged on the Massachusetts State House Tuesday night, including college student Dana Bauer with a symbolic coat hanger in hand. "A lot of anger, a lot of sadness," Bauer said. "I scream and cried all last night, but I know I had to do something about it."

Those who gathered are outraged about the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion, which indicates the conservative majority is on the brink of overturning Roe v. Wade -- and tossing aside a woman's right to abortion.

"And I thought, how did I fall asleep in a time machine and end up back in 1960 because this is just pure craziness," said Katie Montgomery.

If the Supreme Court nixes Roe v. Wade, it would be up to the states to decide on abortions and roughly half stand ready to outlaw them, despite recent public opinion polls.

"The vast majority of Americans, 72%, support abortion," said Rachel Demond of the Boston Liberation Center. "Meanwhile the Supreme Court is saying that it's a national controversy that people have access to abortion."

It wasn't long before demonstrators were on the move, marching around the Boston Common.

But even as Democrats spent the day assailing the Supreme Court, many protesters are not prepared to let them off the hook, arguing Democrats have failed to push the Women's Health Protection Act through Congress, which would legislate many of the same rights.

"The Democrats have had 50 years since Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973 and they've done absolutely nothing to make this the law of the land," said Claire Grossi of Boston Socialist Alternative.

Some demonstrators do not believe the Supreme Court has made a final decision, and they argue that mass protests in the street, student walkouts and worker strikes might convince conservative justices to back off of the draft made public Monday.