ICYMI: The best 10 quotes from the Bans Off Our Bodies Rally

Speakers at the Saturday Bans Off Our Bodies rally had plenty to say about maintaining safe abortion access, voting in the August primary and November midterms ... and what comes next if the Supreme Court overturns Roe. These are the gems. 

“It doesn’t stop with abortion. It starts with abortion. LGBTQ+ rights, access to birth control, even interracial marriage, are all on the line. This issue of abortion access relates to every topic you care about, whether it’s Medicaid expansion to economic equality to over-policing to transgender bans. They’re all tied together. Because abortion is about freedom, options, self-determination, and a free society. You take away abortion, and you take away ALL of our collective freedoms. And those who will lose power and control will be women, trans people, gender nonconforming people, communities of color, the working class — those who already face systematic barriers to care.

— Democratic State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, District 47

“We need to show our anger on Election Day. Our best defense against this assault on democracy is in the voting booth … We will not tolerate this assault on our rights, and we will vote anyone out who tries to restrict the freedom to make our own decisions about our bodies.”

— LaVon Bracy Davis, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 40

“Forced pregnancy is a violation of our human rights. Everyone has the fundamental human right to decide if they want to become a parent and to do so on their own terms. We must remember that historically Black, indigenous, Latinas, Asians, immigrants, folks without financial privilege, disabled folks, LGBTQ+ folks have not had bodily autonomy because of the history of forced sterilization, nonconsensual experimentation on their bodies, and reproductive injustices. And these communities have been living in a post-Roe reality already.

— Aurelia Colon Larrauri, Policy Advocate, Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice

“The international human rights law says that the right to life does not exist unconditionally before birth, that women’s rights should be prioritized over prenatal life in that any prenatal protections must be consistent with women’s human rights. The right to safe, legal and accessible abortion services is based on many existent human rights, such as the right to life, the right to human rights, the right to health, the right to be free from discrimination, the right to bodily integrity, the right to autonomy in reproductive decision making, and privacy, as well as the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress.”

— Italia Rico, Immigration Advocacy Lead, QLatinx

“Tell a friend to tell a friend. Vote in August. Vote in November. Because our rights are on the ballot!”

— Tiffany Hughes, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 39

“Transgender rights at their core are about autonomy, expression and even privacy. As multiple states create legislation to try to create environments where transgender people are seen as taboo or where we cannot receive the treatment or medical care we need, we must see this as a warning sign. as the canary in the mine, signaling that you all are at risk of losing similar rights. … According to a study of nearly 1,700 trans-masculine and nonbinary people, 57 reported terminating a pregnancy. That is 1 in 25 transpeople … So I say, People have abortions. Men have abortions.”

— Arlo Dennis, transgender family planning advocate, Trans Fertility Co.

It’s time to enshrine gender equality in the Constitution through the Equal Rights Amendment. The fight for the ERA is nearly a century long, but recent events have shown it’s needed now more than ever. I’m calling on everyone, but especially young people. We are the generation that will pass the ERA and protect abortion rights for all. As the most diverse generation and the largest voting bloc, young people must be a part of the fight for abortion justice. It’s our bodies at stake, our futures at stake, our lives at stake!

— Kiley Mack, 2022 graduate of Boone High School, Founder of Generation Ratify Florida

“Everyone is hurt when dangerous politicians insert themselves into a healthcare decision. Let’s not forget that abortion is healthcare. [They] need to leave these personal decisions in the exam room, where they belong, between a person and their doctor.

— Dr. Sujatha Prabhakaran Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida

“I recently found out that my sister — who votes for the other side and has since disowned me because I vote blue — has had an abortion. Isn’t that great? But I’m not bitter. I’m happy that she had that choice. And I’m happy I had the choice to have children when I wanted to have children. I have my daughter here ... and I want her to have those choices too.”

— Beth Carpenter, Florida Rising