by the Gainesville Radical Reproductive Rights Network
In the November 5 general election, Floridians will have the chance to enshrine abortion rights into the Constitution of the State of Florida by voting yes on Amendment 4. The government should not interfere with anyone’s right to access health care and abortion is health care.
In May 2023, Floridians Protecting Freedom, a coalition of reproductive rights organizations and sponsor of the proposed Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, began the process of collecting 1.4 million petitions. On April 1, 2024 the Florida Supreme Court approved the language of the amendment and officially placed Amendment 4 on the November 2024 ballot. 11 months after sponsoring the proposed amendment, Floridians Protecting Freedom launched its Yes on 4 campaign, to ensure that 60 percent of voters vote YES for the Constitution to be amended. However, when the Court approved Amendment 4’s language, they also upheld the 15-week abortion ban passed in 2022. In turn, that put a 6-week ban, passed in 2023, into effect on May 1, 2024. While the Court gave Floridians the chance to vote for their rights in November, it took away those same rights until November. It is important to put in the work now to ensure the amendment passes.
In cities across Florida, volunteers with the Yes on 4 campaign have been hosting Super Saturdays every month to train volunteers on canvassing, door knocking, and phone banking, together with a virtual, statewide option. In addition to Super Saturdays, the campaign conducts weekly phone bank training on Thursday evenings, and will also start online training for writing letters to the editor.
The next Super Saturday will be August 24 and will focus on either door knocking or canvassing. Attending a Super Saturday event can get you plugged in with local organizers and trained on how to talk to Florida voters, including friends and family, about the importance of voting yes in November.
Yes on 4 is also mobilizing activists statewide to open hubs to provide resources to volunteers to distribute campaign literature and swag, such as stickers, bumper stickers, church fans, palm cards, and post card kits. Commit-to-vote cards can be completed and mailed to the campaign. Studio TM Ceramics, in northeast Gainesville, will serve as a Gainesville hub, with others likely to open. Supplies will become available within the next two weeks.
For those wanting to get involved in the Alachua County area, there is a coalition of activists from local organizations, such as National Women’s Liberation – Gainesville Chapter, League of Women Voters of Alachua County and its University of Florida campus group, and the Santa Fe College and University of Florida chapters of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, which organizes canvassing at local events, as well as door knocking, to engage in discussions with Alachua County voters, gauge support for Amendment 4 and collect their commitment to vote.
Abortion—like all essential health care—is a deeply personal topic and patients should be empowered to navigate their abortion however they see fit. The ban is an extreme measure of control for a procedure that should be accessible to all pregnant people, without apology. To this end, patients should consider at-home health care as an option. Plan C is an invaluable resource for learning about self-managed abortions. Their website (plancpills.org) contains educational information, resources for accessing abortion pills as well as other critical abortion-related resources, specific to your state, and a vetted list of organizations that sell abortion pills. Aid Access (aidaccess.org) is another resource. The GRRR! Network is currently working on a virtual Self-Managed Abortion: Safe and Supported (SASS) training with Progress Florida. Details to come!
Additionally, to provide direct aid, GRRR! is collaborating with Florida Access Network (FAN) to build and distribute “repro kits,” containing reproductive health essentials. The kits are free to anyone who needs one and include period maintenance products such as tampons, pads and cups, as well as sexual health items, like condoms and dental dams, pregnancy tests and Plan B. They are delivered to places around Gainesville, including the Civic Media Center, and passed out at tabling events.
Amendment 4 is a reaction to the local and national political climate. It is important to stay informed and organize locally to fight for our fundamental human rights.
Learn more about Amendment 4 from Floridians Protecting Freedom here: https://www.floridiansprotectingfreedom.com
View upcoming events in Florida and register for your local or online Super Saturday event here: https://www.mobilize.us/yes4florida/
To stay up-to-date or get involved, follow the GRRR! Network at https://www.instagram.com/thegrrrnetwork and National Women’s Liberation-Gainesville Chapter at https://www.instagram.com/nwlgainesville