Massive NYC protests after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

NEW YORK - Thousands of abortion rights protesters took to the streets of New York City on Friday evening after the Supreme Court's historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

More than 10,000 people gathered in Washington Square Park and Union Square to voice their outrage over the once-seemingly unthinkable decision.

The protests continued into the night and arrests were reported.

Pregnant women considering abortions already had been dealing with a near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after roughly six weeks in Texas. Clinics in at least eight other states — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia — stopped performing abortions after Friday's decision.

In Ohio, a ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat became the law when a federal judge dissolved an injunction that had kept the measure on hold for nearly three years. And Utah's law was triggered by the ruling, going into effect with narrow exceptions.

In New York, abortion care providers have said they are already taking preparations to deal with an increase in out-of-state patients.

RELATED: Planned Parenthood of Greater NY prepares for increase in out-of-state abortion patients

"Today the Supreme Court rolled back the rights of millions of Americans, disregarding their interests and — more importantly — their lives," New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted soon after the decision. "Access to abortion is a fundamental human right, and it remains safe, accessible, and legal in New York."

The decision is expected to disproportionately affect minority women who already face limited access to health care, according to statistics analyzed by The Associated Press.

It also puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls.

Surveys conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and others have shown a majority in favor of abortion being legal in all or most circumstances. But many also support restrictions especially later in pregnancy. Surveys consistently show that about 1 in 10 Americans want abortion to be illegal in all cases.