ORLANDO | Pro-abortion rights activists gathered at The Beacham June 27 for the Organize for Abortion Access in Orlando rally.
The protest was in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision giving pregnant women the right to choose to have an abortion.
Protesters then pushed through the evening rain to march from The Beacham to Orlando City Hall.
Reproving the SCOTUS conclusion, Gloria Dudgan, 73, showed up holding a “We won’t go back” sign. She said that if men could get pregnant, abortion would be available everywhere.
“I am here for my granddaughters,” she said. “I do not have that much time anymore, but they have, and I want them to live a life with free choices with what concerns their bodies.”
Dudgan was not the only woman from the Silent Generation at the protest. Next to her was Mary Wilson, 80, sitting in a chair but fiercely raising her voice. Wilson displayed a big hanger shaped from a cardboard box with blood drops drawn hanging on it. She said the hanger was to remind people what could come their way if conservatives remove women’s rights in Florida.
“I remember when women used to do abortions with hangers when it was illegal,” Wilson said. “I do not want to see them losing their rights or their lives again.”
While protesters screamed out in one voice, “My body, my choice!,” a small group of anti-abortion protesters arrived with signs of their own. Police placed themselves between the two groups, with members of the anti-abortion group pushing back on the police, who used their bikes to push back, leading to some in the conservative group to throw their signs in the air and run away from the area.
With megaphone in hand, Florida House Rep. Anna V. Eskamani spoke in front of Orlando City Hall, leading the group in chants, such as “keep abortion legal.”
The crowd continued to grow, taking up a significant portion of the intersection of Orange Avenue, and South Street, which police closed with the arrival of the second wave of pro-abortion rights protestors.
Speaking with Watermark, Eskamani said today’s protest was just the beginning, calling on all the marginalized groups to participate and be mindful in the ballot box for the upcoming elections.
“We are here to fight for our rights, and we are not leaving anyone behind,” Eskamani said. “We want to ensure everyone’s rights are safe and respected.”
Sean Kelley, who stood behind Eskamani during her speech, attended the protest with his transgender boyfriend to support the cause.
“I am here because my boyfriend is trans and has a disorder,” Kelley said. “If he were to get pregnant, unfortunately, because of his problem, he could die, and we do not want to go through all this hastle to save him.”
Kelley’s boyfriend, Flynn Horon, emphasized what overturing Roe v. Wade could mean in the future.
“It also sets a precedent of what they are going to do next,” Horon said. “Who are they coming for next?”
Horon referred to what Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion, stating that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings insinuating rights to contraception access and same-sex marriage.
The protest lasted about 90 minutes before the protesters left City Hall and marched down Orange Avenue chanting.
Each state has a different rule so far. In some of them, abortion instantly turned illegal after SCOTUS’ decision, and some have laws that would require state officials, such as governors or attorneys general to take action to implement them. However, abortion is still legal in Florida despite the law’s overturning.
“Pro-life conservatives are just pro-life while the baby is in the woman’s womb,” Dudgan said. “Because after they are born, these people do not care how this kid will live.”
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