Dueling rallies around abortion debate set for Orlando in wake of state bans

May 24-- May 24--After Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S. and other states began to follow suit with similar laws, forces on both sides of the contentious issue will mobilize Sunday in Central Florida to make sure their views are heard.

Abortion rights supporter Alyssa DeMetro said she had enough of watching women lose "their right to autonomy" and decided to organize a rally.

"I got angry and decided to make an event, even if it ended up me alone in front of City Hall -- I wanted to do something more than just share articles on Facebook," the 24-year-old Orlando resident said.

But DeMetro won't be alone. More than 1,000 people have pledged to join her at 11 a.m. at Lake Eola for a "rally to support abortion access" followed by a march in downtown Orlando to City Hall.

A counter-protest hosted by the Orange County Republican Executive Committee, also at Lake Eola, is set for 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The pro-life event page encourages participants to wear apparel supportive of President Donald Trump -- including his signature red MAGA cap -- and carry signs that promote the Alabama law. But pictures of aborted fetuses aren't allowed, according to the event guidelines.

Sunday's pro-choice event is part of a national "stop the bans" movement in response to Alabama legislators passing a law this month that restricts abortion at any stage of pregnancy, without an exception for rape or incest.

Doctors who perform the procedure would face a felony charge that carries a sentence of up to 99 years in prison. A federal lawsuit was filed Friday seeking to block the law that will take effect in November.

Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Ohio also have recently passed legislation to outlaw most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected -- which can be determined as early as the sixth week of pregnancy.

None of the four proposed abortion bills in Florida were passed during the recent legislative session but local lawmakers have already committed to renewing the effort next year.

State Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola, sponsored a fetal heartbeat bill that didn't get a committee hearing but said Thursday that God told him to champion an abortion ban modeled by Alabama's law in the next session, which begins in January, according to a report by the Pensacola News Journal.

Abortion opponents will gather for a walk around Lake Eola to counter the pro-choice event, according to rally details.

"We are simply gathering peacefully with our pro-life signs in support of pro-life legislation," organizer Todd Catella said in a statement. "No confrontation, no drama, just a presence for unborn children."

Organizers for both rallies have requested that protesters not engage in confrontations with the opposing side.

"They have a right to their point of view and so do we," according to the pro-life event page description. "Let your signs do your talking."

DeMetro said her call to action Sunday not only was spurred by the fear that Florida will pass extreme abortion measures but also that the framework of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade would be threatened.

"I think the anger and fear that our right to basic reproductive control was being ripped from us, crossed with the idea of an average person wanting to mobilize resonated with people, and I am so glad that it did," DeMetro said. "Our voices are stronger when we all speak together."

Abortion rights supporters from around the state are expected to attend. Several reproductive rights advocates, including state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, are scheduled to speak.

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