ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The 4th annual Tampa Bay March of Life held in St. Petersburg on Saturday was one of just a few rallies scheduled for this weekend as the anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches.
Monday marks 51 years since the landmark ruling at the Supreme Court, a ruling that is now reversed.
"Roe v. Wade may be history, but the work continues," said Scott Mahurin, event director and president of Florida Preborn Rescue. "Pro-lifers will continue to make our voice heard in Tampa Bay until abortion is illegal and unthinkable and until every child is protected by love and by law."
As pro-life groups from across Tampa Bay gathered peacefully at Pioneer Park to march to City Hall, another small counter-protest was across the street, one of three local pro-choice rallies planned through Monday.
Amy Weintraub, Reproductive Rights Program Director for Progress Florida, is hosting a rally in St. Petersburg on Monday. Weintraub is part of a movement in the state to get abortion access on the November 2024 ballot.
"It will amend the Florida Constitution to guarantee it and that once and for all will get politicians out of our healthcare decisions when it comes to abortion," said Weintraub.
A coalition of Florida abortion rights supporters announced in early January that they gathered enough signatures to put a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion on the ballot in 2024, with over 900,000 verified petitions submitted by Floridians Protecting Freedom.
However, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is asking the Florida Supreme Court to keep the amendment off, citing what she claims could be vague language for voters.
Advocates from Pinellas National Organization for Women, the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg area, the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, and Progress Florida will gather at the intersection of Central Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown St. Petersburg at noon Monday.
