Door knocking, TV ads, websites: The abortion battle heats up in Florida and it's getting ugly
When Lucy Rodriguez knocks on a front door in West Palm Beach, she connects with the Hispanic resident about Florida’s proposed abortion protections in a way they can relate.
“I’m from the Dominican Republic and I fled for freedom,” she says. “I don’t want my freedoms taken away from me by the government.”
The Dominican Republic is not the only Latin American country where abortion is a crime or where oppressive governments have triggered residents to flee to South Florida, and that’s what Rodriguez hopes to tap into as she rallies support for Florida’s abortion rights amendment.
Campaigns for and against an amendment enshrining abortion rights in Florida’s constitution are heating up, with election day less than two months away. Organizations are holding news conferences, volunteers are going door-to-door, church leaders are denouncing the amendment from their pulpits, groups are slamming the airwaves with advertisements, and phone banks are reaching out to voters.
The intensity of the battle reflects what’s at stake in Florida, where a six-week abortion ban went into effect May 1. In November, Florida voters will either vote yes on Amendment 4 to allow abortion up to the time of viability through a change to the state constitution or no to keep Florida’s six-week abortion ban passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Abortion protections have become one of the most hotly contested and controversial issues in this year’s elections, with several states, including Florida, voting on similar constitutional amendments.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/16/door-knocking-tv-ads-websites-the-abortion-battle-heats-up-in-florida-and-its-getting-ugly/