Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the United States this Saturday to defend right to abortionthreatened by the Supreme Court, which seems willing to revisit its historic decision 50 years ago.

The scheduled coast-to-coast protests come in response to a draft final decision leaked to the media in which the conservative-majority United States Supreme Court is considering overturning a ruling in the landmark “Roe vs. Wade”, who in 1973 guaranteed legal access to abortion across the country.

“We demonstrated today to say it loud and clear: don’t touch our bodies.” tweeted Saturday Women’s March, one of the organizations behind this great day of action.

About 450 rallies are planned across the country, including large marches in Washington, New York, Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles.

In the capital, demonstrations began at 14:00 local time (18:00 GMT) and will head to the headquarters of the supreme court. Organizers expect at least 17,000 people.

“Across the country, some politicians are trying to make decisions for us and about our bodies,” said the petition from the Ban Our Bodies movement, organized by groups such as Planed Parenthood and the Women’s March.

“We will not allow the growing abortion ban in this country to jeopardize our lives and future, and we will not stand idly by while our basic right to control our bodies is revoked,” he stressed.

If the 1973 ruling were overturned, “it would be terrible,” he told AFP Linda Coffee, who once represented Jane Roe and who currently denounces the “very vociferous minority” against abortion.

The leak of the Supreme Court draft, which is not yet final, has sparked anger over the possible withdrawal of procedural rights ahead of crucial November midterm elections, in which control of both chambers of Congress will be at stake.

Read: What is Roe vs. Wade and why he’s at the center of the US abortion-related political battle

“We all lost”

Democratic rulers have pushed for steps to codify abortion rights into federal law, an attempt to undermine Republicans on a deeply divisive issue ahead of the election.

The Law on Women’s Health Protection passed by the DPR (below) guarantees the right of health workers to have an abortion and the right of patients to use it.

However, Republicans operating in the US Senate declined to vote on the action earlier this week.

Legislative results do not match the opinion of Americans in general: in a new poll by political journalism publication Politico and the Morning Consult firm, 53% of voters said that “Roe vs. Wade” should not be revoked, three percentage points more than last week, while 58% thought it was important to vote for a candidate in favor of access to abortion.

Republican-controlled states have taken steps to limit abortion rights in recent months, and repealing a 1973 law would give them more freedom to limit or prohibit clinical procedures.

“We all lose if Roe is removed,” tweeted Women’s March Executive Director Rachel O’Leary Carmona.

“Even those in small conservative towns like me in Texas who are grateful for the abortions their wives have had during life-threatening pregnancies, or who fear their granddaughters won’t be able to have an abortion if they’re raped,” she argues.

This may interest you: The United States Senate rejects a law that guarantees access to abortion in the country

A new attitude in the world of economics

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also warned of “very damaging economic consequences” if “women’s right to decide when and whether they want to have children” is undermined.

For those who are progressive, support can also come from the economic world. More and more companies, which have long avoided the issue, are taking a stand for abortion rights with the emergence of a new generation of leaders.

The issue has always sparked activism, but the leak of Supreme Court evaluations led to a spike in demonstrations.

The largely peaceful protests sparked criticism from Republican ranks about court members’ right to privacy, as activists responded by pointing to years of violent protests outside abortion clinics and the homes of doctors providing the procedure.

And many cite the pending Supreme Court decision as a greater invasion of privacy.

“You can’t take my autonomy over my body and then enjoy your Saturday at home. You do one thing or another,” Nikki Enfield, one of the protesters, told a local network affiliated with CBS.