Anti-abortion activists in Rhode Island are fighting legislative attempts to enshrine abortion protections in state law.
More than 200 activists gathered in Providence on Tuesday on the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across the nation.
The Providence Journal reports it was also the day that state lawmakers introduced the state Senate version of the Reproductive Health Care Act.
Anti-abortion speakers denounced the bill, saying it would expand existing abortion rights to an extreme level.
Supporters say the bill would ensure abortion rights in Rhode Island even if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
It would also prohibit the state from interfering with a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy before the fetus is viable or when necessary to preserve the woman's health.
