TAMPA, Fla. — While many Americans celebrated the 4th of July at beaches at barbecues, abortion rights demonstrators protested the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A handful of rallies and marches were held around Tampa Bay in opposition to the ruling, which decided that government decisions about restricting or banning abortions should be left to the states.
The decision has sparked protests across the nation.
At 10 a.m. Monday, about 100 people gathered at MacDill Park on the Riverwalk for the 4th of July Freedom Rally for Abortion Rights.
A coalition of community organizations including Fierce Warriors Tampa, Black Lives Matter, Project No Labels and Common Ground Florida came together for the rally.
At MacDill Park on Monday, protestors wore green bandanas and t-shirts, in support of abortion rights, and held signs with slogans like "Fight for justice instead of celebrating injustice" and "Women are watching and voting."
A pregnant person sat on a bench, cradling their stomach that had a bright, fluorescent green shirt stretched across it. They listened as leaders, including Hillsborough state attorney, Andrew Warren, gave speeches.
Warren denounced the SCOTUS decision and pledged to not prosecute women who are seeking these services. He accused the justices who voted to overturn Roe of letting politics play into rule of law, which he said undermines and destroys confidence in the third branch of government.
"The Supreme Court gave the states unchecked authority to to criminalize private medical decisions made between a woman and her doctor," Warren told the crowd.
He said much of the focus has been on where to draw the line for abortion with some states saying 15 weeks, 24 weeks, 26 weeks, etc.
"But we’re missing the fundamental question: it’s not where we draw the line it’s who gets to draw the line," Warren said. "I trust women and their doctors to draw that line about health care decisions, not government."
Donna Davis, Black Lives Matter Tampa co-founder, attended the rally to put pressure on elected officials to codify Roe v. Wade into law at both the federal and local levels, if possible, she said.
With a bright green bandana wrapped around her neck and green camo jacket on, she spoke of the need for abortion access.
“I’m here in Tampa because I am an advocate," Davis said. "I’m here in Tampa because I am a woman. I’m here in Tampa doing this today because I have a daughter. I myself required access to abortion health care as a younger woman, and I want to secure that right and that access for women who may need that.”
One of the younger attendees, 7-year-old Alex, attended the protest with his mom, Barbara Mellen. He watched the crowd from atop shoulders, celebrating Independence day by learning to use his voice.
Mellen, a Pinellas County resident said she was there Monday to fight for abortion rights and to teach Alex that it's important to stand up for the rights of others.
"It’s making sure that he understands from a young age that just because it doesn’t affect him directly doesn’t mean it’s not affecting him," Mellen said. "He should be here to stand up for everybody else who’s rights might be taken away. Even though he’s only 7 years old, it’s gonna affect him in the long term, and we have to start now."
In Sarasota, a march by the group, Women's Voices of Southwest Florida, a non-partisan grassroots movement, was scheduled for Monday evening.
The group said it was calling for "bodily autonomy and access to legal abortion." Promotion flyers for the march read, "We Dissent: Rally Against the End of Roe, No Freedom, No 4th."
"The fact that if as an American citizen, I don't have right over my own body, don't try to gaslight me in telling me that this is a free country. Nobody has the right to take away control over your own body, nobody has that right," said Kate Danehy-Samitz of Women's Voices of Southwest Florida, Sarasota.
Another group, The Party for Socialism and Liberation - Tampa Bay, previously announced plans to hold a protest at City Hall in St Petersburg Monday evening. The group, on its Facebook page, stated that it was demanding "the federal legalization of abortion."
Anti-abortion groups who long fought for the reversal have said the reversal was a correction of a decision that was morally and legally flawed.
"Our issue in the pro-life movement is, what are we talking about here, we are talking about a human being, a baby, an infant that is created, that's conceived and deserving of legal protection," said Scott Mahurin of Florida Pre-Born Rescue, Manatee County.
Danehy-Samitz sees it differently.
"If it's truly about children, it wouldn't cost upwards of 50,000 and we wouldn't have 400,000 children in more in-home and in and out of group homes," Danehy-Samitz said.
More marches like these are expected as the abortion debate continues in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to appeal a judge's decision last week to temporarily block Florida's 15-week abortion ban, which a court called unconstitutional.
"HB-5 is unconstitutional in that it violates the privacy provision of the Florida Constitution," said Leon County Circut Judge John C. Cooper during a hearing last Thursday.