This Saturday, pro-choice activists will hold a “Bans Off Our Bodies” march and rally in St. Petersburg to protest recent anti-abortion legislation.
The protest is set to be held at Vinoy Park—701 Bayshore Dr. NE in St. Petersburg—at 4 p.m., where demonstrators will speak out against the Texas and Mississippi abortion bans, as well as similar proposed legislation in Florida. According to a press release, a dozen guest speakers and artists will make appearances at the event.
“Floridians should be able to control their lives at the most basic level–including the right to accessible and safe abortions–and without fear of being turned in to authorities by a neighbor, co-worker, or disapproving family member,” said Josephine Beck, a USF student who helped organize the event.
The rally is one of dozens being planned across the United States in response to the recent passage of Texas’ abortion ban, which prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy—before many women realize they are pregnant—and deputizes private citizens to enforce the law. State Rep. Webster Barnaby, a Florida Republican, filed a copycat bill last week (HB 167) to bring the same abortion ban to Florida.
“Undeniably, a majority of Floridians support women’s access to safe, legal abortion,” said Amy Weintraub, Reproductive Rights Director for Progress Florida and one of the event’s organizers. “We want to ensure that no abortion ban will be imposed by the Florida Legislature or Governor DeSantis."
The Bans Off Our Bodies event is sponsored by the Leif Nissen Foundation, the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area, Progress Florida, Pinellas County National Organization for Women, Appial Designs LLC, Fired Up Pinellas, Women’s March Florida (Hillsborough and Pinellas chapters), and Women’s March Inc.
The event organizers encourage those who are interested in attending to register online at tampabyoctober2.com. Accommodation options, including a live stream, will be open for those who cannot attend in person. More information can be found on the event’s Facebook event page. Limited parking is available and guests are encouraged to arrive early.
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This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2021.