People attend a rally in Los Angeles, the United States, on May 21, 2019. Dozens of rallies were held Tuesday in southern California's major cities to denounce the growing number of states passing restrictive abortion laws and demand women's rights in the contentious abortion issue. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
LOS ANGELES, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of rallies were held Tuesday in southern California's major cities to denounce the growing number of states passing restrictive abortion laws and demand women's rights in the contentious abortion issue.
The largest local protest took place in the city of West Hollywood with a news conference and rally outside the city hall. Meanwhile, rallies were also held in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Torrance, Huntington Beach and Irvine.
West Hollywood claims to be the first city in the United States to declare itself pro-choice back in 1993.
Tuesday's rallies were in response to the recent anti-abortion legislation in several conservative states, the most notable being Alabama. Last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey approved the most stringent abortion law in the nation.
"This is happening right now in our world, on our watch," West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey Horvath told the demonstrators.
"Now is the time for us to join the National Organization for Women, join Supermajority, find your tribe and fight this," said Karen Eyers, vice president of feminist organization Hollywood NOW.
"Fight this, and let your legislators know that we will not stand for this, that it ends now," Eyers said.
On Tuesday, the West Hollywood City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed resolutions vowing to refuse to do any business with states that have passed restrictive abortion laws.
The Los Angeles Unified School District also considered a resolution condemning Alabama's abortion ban.
