TAMPA, Fla. — If you saw a giant inflatable IUD in downtown Tampa Friday, your eyes did not deceive you.
As part of their “IUD Express,” Americans for Contraception (AFC) set up the 20-foot-tall inflatable in Lykes Gaslight Park, part of a multi-city tour to spark conversation about access to birth control.
"I think people don't realize what's at stake necessarily,” Laura Packard, an AFC board member, said. "Your rights to birth control could be under attack."
The group was joined by several Democratic lawmakers from the Tampa Bay area, calling out Republicans, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott for blocking two bills in Congress recently, that would’ve made access to contraception and in vitro fertilization (IVF) a federally protected right.
RELATED: Republicans block bill to protect contraception access as Democrats make election-year push
“[Scott] says, oh I’m for IVF, but his rhetoric does not match his record,” Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa) said, adding it should have been a simple vote for any supporter.
“If they really believe contraceptives should be available and folks should have access, they could easily pass that into law and they haven’t,” she said.
Democratic lawmakers view contraceptive rights as a key issue to drum up voters ahead of the November election, where in Florida, they'll also weigh in on a ballot question to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
On the other side, Republicans argue it’s a fabricated concern and the use of birth control is protected by Supreme Court precedent.
In a statement, Senator Rick Scott’s campaign spokesman Will Hampson told 10 Tampa Bay, “Senator Scott has been clear that he supports contraception and IVF. This issue is personal to him as his daughter is going through IVF right now. Senator Scott supports a bill in Congress to protect access to IVF and voted against the Democrats’ political stunt that would have, among other things, provided taxpayer-funded condoms to elementary schoolers.”
"Justice Clarence Thomas said, well we need to relook at the Griswold V. Connecticut case. That's the case that established the fundamental right for women to have contraceptives, that created a lot of concern,” Castor said.
The "IUD Express" has already made stops in D.C., Orlando and Miami and will be in Tallahassee on Monday.