Gainesville community rallies for abortion rights in fear of Roe v. Wade being overturned

Frustrated chants of "When you say abortion, you say justice" sang through the air as more than 100 people rallied outside a Gainesville courthouse to protest the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court decision that has long protected women's reproductive rights.

The protest, held outside the Judge Stephen P. Mickle Sr. Courthouse, was quickly organized by Planned Parenthood on Tuesday afternoon in response to a leaked Supreme Court decision that intends to overturn the historic abortion case ruling.

Gainesville leaders who were unable to attend the event celebrated the community's quick response the next morning.

Activists were joined by other organizations Florida Forward, the National Women's Liberation, Dream Defenders and the University of Florida's Planned Parenthood Generation Action.

"The reality is that Roe is under attack, and Roe is at risk and we have to be involved now and continue to be as loud as we can," said Kai Christmas, a regional organizer for Planned Parenthood.

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The drafted 98-page document written by Justice Samuel Alito calls the original Roe v. Wade decision "egregiously wrong from the start." It further states that "its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences."

The Guttmacher Institute states that 22 states, including Florida, are ready to pass laws and constitutional amendments to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Florida remains a state where abortion is legal, but strict rules are in place. Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a 15-week abortion ban that is scheduled to effect in July. On Tuesday, he called the Supreme Court leak inappropriate and suggested it possibly was done to bully judges into reversing their latest decision.

Still, it's a major blow to bodily autonomy for women, say protesters.

Olysha Magruder, a candidate for Florida House Representatives District 22 and local activist, was putting her seven-year-old son to bed when she received a text from her friend about the overturning of Roe V. Wade.

"I was devastated, dismayed, but not surprised because I know that this is something that entities have been working on for a really long time," she said.

As a woman, she says that she feels that it's a violation of her constitutional rights.

"I feel like I should make the choice that's best for me and my family, as a woman and as a mother, and I feel violated that other people making that choice for me," Magruder said.

Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe said Wednesday the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade is "alarming" and an "erosion of women's access to basic healthcare." He said when he first heard the news of the possible reversal, it was like being hit by a thunderbolt.

"I was thrilled to see our community show up and defend some basic human rights like we always do, there are no days off," Poe said. "I think most of our neighbors here in Gainesville are just devastated by what might happen (which) is stripping women's basic rights to healthcare."

A few counter-protesters showed up in support of the reversal. One man held a cardboard sign that said "Stop murdering babies."

Felton Woods, minister of the Gainesville Church of Christ, said Wednesday after the protest that he was just 12-years-old when the Supreme Court's abortion decision was handed down. He said he understands both sides of the issue, but as a Christian believes more thought needs to be given to saving the life of the unborn child.

"I understand that there's going to be a lot of protests on both sides of the aisle and what the implications of repealing it might be not just to women but to other core groups such as transgender and the LGBTQ society," he said. "I was given my Christian point of view, which I must live by now, understanding that the Bible tells us that thou shalt not murder, does not kill."

He said he wishes people would consider adoption instead of abortion.

"There are people who can't have children who would love to adopt that child," he said. "So rather than killing it ... I wish that we put more thought into it because I think about all the children that did not get a chance to live."

Alachua County resident Sara Younger stood on the sidewalk holding three signs draped around her that read "My body, my choice," for passing cars. Some drivers honked in support of the movement.

Younger said she attended the protest for reproductive rights back in October where marches and rallies were held nationwide to protest political measures that threatened women's reproductive rights.

Like many women, she once made the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy early.

"The choice must remain with the woman and her doctor because anyone else getting involved is just contributing to the issue," she said. "Abortions will still happen, they just won't happen safely and I think it's a devastating loss for healthcare advocates and for women."

About Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade, a ruling that established a woman's right to have an abortion, passed in 1973 after a woman under the alias Jane Roe filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, a previous district attorney in Dallas County, Texas.

Roe challenged the Texas law that made abortion illegal unless it was under life-saving circumstances. The Court ruled in Roe's favor after finding that the state had violated her right to privacy.

Oyez, which hosts an archive of the Supreme Court decisions, states that a woman's right to an abortion is balanced against the government's interest in protecting women's health and protecting "the potentiality of life".

It was made so that during the first trimester of pregnancy the state could not regulate the abortion decision, and that it remained between the pregnant woman and her physician. In the second semester, the state could impose regulations. And during the third semester, the state could regulate abortions or prohibit them entirely.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville residents protest possible reversal of Roe v. Wade