Massive Abortion Rights Protest Outside Moms For Liberty Convention

TAMPA, FL — A massive crowd took to the street Saturday in downtown Tampa to rally for abortion rights as the conservative Moms For Liberty group held its first national convention nearby.

Videos circulating on Twitter showed the large crowd outside the Tampa Marriott Water Street where the convention is being held. Among those attending is Pinellas County pro-choice activist, Fara Dawn, who posted video of the protest on Twitter.

The demonstration is in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last month and the Florida Legislature passing a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy during its 2022 session. The legislation was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis April 14.

Since then, Florida pro-choice groups have filed a series of court actions to prevent the new law from taking effect. Last week, Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper issued a temporary injunction to block the law, saying it violated the Florida Constitution.

See related story: Showdown In Tampa Takes Place Between Groups For, Against DeSantis

However, the state appealed the injunction, prompting an automatic stay of Cooper's ruling and keeping the new law in effect.

While the conservative Moms For Liberty, started by two former Florida school board members, hasn't made abortion one of its platform issues, the presence of DeSantis at the Moms of Liberty's first national summit Friday morning, along with Attorney General Ashley Moody and former governor and now U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Saturday, made the summit an ideal forum for Tampa Bay pro-choice advocates to express their dismay over the Supreme Court and Florida Legislature's actions, said the Tampa Bay Coalition for Women's Rights.

At the same time, the hotel is also the site of the Florida Democratic Party's Leadership Blue 2022 summit July 15 to 17, attended by vocal pro-choice candidates Florida Agriculture Commission Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, both vying for the governor's seat, state Reps. Fentrice Driskell and Anna V. Eskamani, and U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings.

"This is an opportunity to show up en masse and show them that we won't rest until this war on bodily autonomy is over," said the coalition in its invitation to the protest on Facebook.

Led by both the coalition and Tampa Bay's Party for Socialism and Liberation, the protest began Saturday at 10 a.m. at Lykes Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa. Gathering supporters along the way, the protesters then marched to the Marriott Water Street at 505 Water St. to continue the protest while Moms For Liberty hosted a forum featuring Scott and heard from Moody inside the hotel.

Moms For Liberty hasn't commented on the protests taking place outside the hotel.