FLORIDA, USA — The leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting a majority of the justices support overturning Roe v. Wade, has taken center stage on the campaign trail in Florida.
“If you aren’t angry today, what are you waiting for,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, said Tuesday at an abortion rights protest in Miami.
“We have the power to make a difference here,” Fried added.
The potential ruling, sparked protests and rallies for abortion rights across the nation, while also bringing enhanced focus on the issue for the three Democratic candidates hoping to earn their party's nomination and take on incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall in the general election.
“A veto pen may be our last line of defense against radical government control of our bodies in Florida,” tweeted Fried.
Fried, State Sen. Annette Taddeo (D-Miami), and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) will face off in the Democratic primary in August. The winner will face DeSantis in November.
All three candidates attended pro-choice rallies in the state Tuesday.
“I never thought I’d see the day that this would happen, that we would actually be taking away women's rights,” said State Sen. Annette Taddeo (D-40) at an event.
“Allowing states to ban access to reproductive healthcare, will only lead to a very unsafe and non-medical alternative for women, and I’m terrified,” she added.
“This is a gut-wrenching day for women and reproductive freedom in our country," said Crist, while defending his past record on abortion issues.
“Now more than ever, we need to fight tirelessly to protect a woman’s right against attacks from our own governor,” Crist added.
If Roe is overturned, several states have “trigger bans” in place, meaning abortion would be automatically banned. In Florida, under recently-signed legislation, the state will prohibit most abortions after 15 weeks with few exceptions. That law, which is facing legal challenges, is set to go in effect July 1.
“If you look at the protections I signed into law a couple weeks ago, those were the strongest that Florida has seen in decades. Our view is that those are fully consistent with the federal constitution,” Gov. DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday.
Gov. DeSantis characterized the leak of the SCOTUS draft opinion as a “judicial insurrection”
