According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate has doubled in the last 25 years.

On Monday, thousands of people across the nation came together to participate in Improving Birth's National Rally for Change on, a women's movement created to bring awareness to the lack of evidence-based maternity care in the U.S.

Those rallying at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville said women should know their options. They say they're not against cesarean births, they just want women to be better informed on the choices they do have when it comes time to have a baby.

Melynda Wilson, the coordinator of Improving Birth's local rally, said the number of times doctors opt for unnecessary C-sections versus natural childbirth speaks volumes.

Wilson said Florida ranks No. 4 in the nation with about a 38-percent cesarean rate.

"That's not medically justifiable in any way," Wilson said. "The cesarean rate shouldn't be any more than 5 percent."

"Doctors would schedule cesareans so that they could play golf on Wednesday afternoon," father and rallier Skip Wheeler said.

The public awareness campaign brings to light practices that ralliers say have been proven to not be what is best for mothers and babies.

"We think it's not about being allowed to do something," said Karen Lee-Duffell, a mother of two. "Who's going to stop me? This is our right to choose what medical procedures happen to us."

Organizers hope to raise enough awareness that hospitals and obstetricians will be inspired, motivated and encouraged to make significant changes to the way women are being cared for during labor and delivery.

While Monday's rally was staged in front of Memorial Hospital, no one said anything negative against the hospital itself.

As for Memorial, here's what it said about the rally: "We appreciate the efforts of ImprovingBirth.org and support their stated goals of educating women and promoting evidence-based birth practices."

Jacksonville wasn't the only city getting involved. More than 100 major cities had similar rallies, and supporters say this won't be the last time they speak their mind on the issue.