Roe v. Wade solidarity march happening in Kelowna

The US Supreme Court has decided to overturn its 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling.

The original ruling found that a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy was protected by the right to privacy that flows from the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects a citizen's right to "life, liberty and property."

But in a 5-4 decision on Friday, the new US Supreme Court ruling means states can choose to restrict or outright ban the procedure.

As a result, the news has sparked plenty of outrage around the world.

In light of this announcement, an Okanagan resident is organizing a solidarity march through downtown Kelowna on Sunday, June 26.

“March in Mourning for Roe v. Wade, stand with our US sisters and friends,” reads the poster.

The march will take place at noon in City Park, as pro-choice allies make their way down to the Kelowna Courthouse.

Updated information can be found on the Facebook event page here.

While, the right to an abortion doesn't exist in Canada in the same way it was enshrined in Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that had served as a rock-ribbed legal scaffold for reproductive rights champions around the world for nearly half a century.

Abortion is decriminalized in Canada because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision, but no bill has ever been passed to enshrine access into law and it's also not considered a constitutionally protected right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Though the decision is sending "shock waves" across the world, the legal ability to have an abortion in Canada is not under threat, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.

With files from Canadian Press.