After Roe v. Wade, nationwide Women's Marches focus on state-level fight for abortion rights

On the 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, demonstrators rallied for abortion rights protections across the country Sunday, led by a national

demonstration in Madison, Wisconsin – a location reflecting the shift in focus on reproductive rights at the state level. Abortion rights activists have marched

on Jan. 22, called Roe v. Wade Day, each year since 1973, when the Supreme Court decision first granted federal protections for abortion rights. But Sunday, activists are also

mourning the ruling after it was overturned last year. The demonstration, dubbed "Bigger Than Roe," will be "about maintaining momentum and building community,"

as well as holding space for the conflicting emotions many people may feel on the day, Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March, which organized the

marches, told USA TODAY. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. While protesters are still gathering in Washington,

D.C., and over 180 other locations nationwide, according to the Women's March map, the main march is in Madison. The location is meant to symbolize how the nation's abortion

battle has shifted to states after last year's seismic Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Carmona said. "The fight is in the states now, so that's

where we're going," she said. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters celebrated the overturn of Roe v. Wade in events over the weekend,

including the annual March for Life on Friday with the theme "Next Steps: Marching in a Post-Roe America."