This browser does not support the Video element.
Women's rights groups rally in St. Pete
Kailey Tracy reports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - On the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, women’s rights groups stood at the intersection of Central Avenue and Third Street South in downtown St. Petersburg on Monday, commemorating the day.
They called for safe and legal abortion access like they’ve done for two decades on that same corner every Jan. 22.
"The fact is, it was a seminal movement for gender equity, and it made a world of difference to countless numbers of women," said Amy Weintraub, the reproductive rights program director at Progress Florida.
READ: March for Life 2024: Thousands brave snow to rally against abortion rights
A year and a half after the landmark ruling was overturned, though, Weintraub said they have another reason to rally.
"Our next step on the statewide level is to engage in a voter education campaign," she said. "We need to make sure every Floridian knows that there is a proposed amendment on the ballot in November that will guarantee abortion rights, reproductive freedom for generations of Floridians to come."
Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment recently got nearly one million signatures to get it on the November ballot.
"It’s critical that it stays safe and staying legal is part of that," Weintraub said.
RELATED: Abortion measure meets signature requirements to go on Florida ballot
The proposed ballot summary says, in part, "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."
"A baby is a baby and a life is a life, and they are so precious to us," St. Petersburg City Council Member Deborah Figgs-Sanders, who attended the rally, said. "But we do understand that there may be some circumstances that I, as a person, I as someone sitting in a political seat, should not be the one to make that right, to decide what that mom has to deal with, because we don't know all circumstances."
Last spring, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law restricting abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy. It will automatically go into effect if the Florida Supreme Court rules in favor of the current 15-week restriction, which is currently being challenged.
Supporters said DeSantis is protecting the lives of the unborn.
"We're hoping that Florida will continue to advance the pro-life cause," Scott Mahurin with Florida Preborn Rescue said. "Ultimately, yes, the total abortion ban would be the best thing we all could hope for. Because, again, life begins at conception. Human life has dignity and worth from that moment of conception; new DNA, new nervous system, a new person is created. But we're going to support any pro-life legislation that moves the ball forward and oppose any pro-choice legislation that would undo all the pro-life work that's been done."
MORE: Study pinpoints how many extra births occurred after Roe v Wade overturned
Mahurin and others with Florida Preborn Rescue were also out demonstrating on Monday.
"We're here to represent the preborn of Tampa Bay who don't have a voice in this issue. So, we're going to be their voice," he said.
The Florida Supreme Court has to sign off on the wording of the proposed ballot initiative and a hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said its wording could confuse voters and is vague.