Tallahassee, FL – On June 24, Florida State Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS) issued a call to action in response to the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v. Wade. “We have been preparing to take action on this decision for weeks. We have to be organized to stand up and fight back,” proclaimed a member of SDS. They joined more than 300 protesters at the Florida Historic Capitol to defend women’s and reproductive rights.

“This decision revokes a 50-year-long protection of the right to privacy and abortion, but also empower conservatives to continue their attacks,” asserted Zeke Greenwood, President of FSU SDS.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is just one of many recent attacks on women and trans people. These attacks come as inflation is hitting 40-year highs and food prices are skyrocketing.

Val Beron, member of Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), questioned how the government can “expect us to give birth to children if we can barely keep a roof over our heads.” Other rights, like the right to same-sex marriage, are on the chopping block. This is a coordinated attack by the right wing to roll back the progress people have fought and won.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade has national implications, especially for states who have enacted abortion bans. In Florida, the state legislature recently passed HB5, a law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks, regardless of rape or incest. This bill passed the extremely conservative state legislature swiftly but not without push back.

On February 17, Florida chapters of Students for a Democratic Society interrupted the full House proceedings of HB5, leading to a mass trespassing of the students. This kind of state repression has not, and will not, stop the people from rising up and demanding reproductive rights for all. Engaging in direct action and supporting abortion funds like the Florida Access Network are both important. In the words of Delilah Pierre, district organizer of Tallahassee Freedom Road Socialist Organization and president of TCAC, “voting is not going to solve every one of our problems.”

Groups like the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Planned Parenthood, FAMU and FSU Generation Action, Tallahassee Freedom Road Socialist Organization , and the Tallahassee Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) all joined the June 24 protest.

The National Students for a Democratic Society delivered a call to action to all “students, and people overall across the country, to take to the streets and protest.” FSU SDS will continue the struggle to defend women’s and reproductive rights no matter what. We must not back down!

Dare to struggle! Dare to win!

#TallahasseeFL #RoeVWade #reproductiveRights #AbortionRights