Jones Invokes MLK Amidst Abortion Rights Debate

Florida state Senator Shevrin Jones (D) has invoked MLK amidst a fight for abortion rights in Florida. Pushing back against GOP legislation, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried (D) and Florida state Senator Lauren Book (D) were arrested for protesting the abortion bill, and Jones has come to their defense.

Jones highlighted that it is the 55^th anniversary of Martin Luther King, and while Dr. King was a proponent of human and civil rights, Jones shared that people are still fighting for rights to this day.

Citing the recent arrest of Democrats, Jones expressed that “peaceful protestors were arrested while demonstrating against the state’s latest draconian abortion ban,” commenting that “our right to protest and speak freely without fear of legal intervention out to be safe – but that’s unfortunately not the case in Ron DeSantis’ Florida.”

With the bill, abortions would be outlawed after 6 weeks, and in cases of rape, incest, or human trafficking, there are 15 weeks to terminate the birth.

In his statement, Shevrin explained that Republicans across the country do not care about abortion rights just like they don’t care about gun control.

“Across the country, Republican extremists are in lockstep with DeSantis as they choose fascist attacks against political opponents over actually improving people’s lives,” he said, adding that “rather than proposing solutions to close the healthcare access gap or help Floridians plan for retirement, Florida Republicans choose to further stack the deck in favor of their corporate donors and against workers and families.”

In moving forward, Shevrin called on lawmakers to reassess what they are voting for while in office.

“It’s long past time for Florida’s elected leaders to recalibrate and get back to basics to ensure the state’s priorities align with our shared priorities: dignity over dehumanization, empathy over extremism, and people over profiteering,” he urged.

Fried and Book were both arrested at the Capitol while protesting the Heartbeat Protection Act. The bill passed the Florida Senate early this week and now heads to the Florida House.

Fried was recently elected to Florida Democratic Party Chair, and she maintains that the Democratic party will expand its legislative wins in statewide elections.