The Sunshine State has long been newsworthy as a popular destination for its weather, theme parks, and beautiful beaches. However, this year, it is garnering press for another critical reason: abortion will be on the ballot in Florida in November.
Florida is also home to one of the nine state affiliates of the Religious Action Center of the Union of Reform Judaism (RAC). RAC-FL congregations and teams unanimously voted in February of 2023 to work on a campaign focused on reproductive freedom. We began mobilizing for this cause after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 300, which bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a benchmark before many people even know that they are pregnant.
Floridians Protecting Freedom is a statewide coalition of allied organizations and concerned citizens leading the work to protect Floridians' right to bodily autonomy. In May of 2023, RAC-FL and over two hundred other volunteer organizations joined the Floridians Protecting Freedom campaign to put abortion access on the November 2024 ballot. The proposed measure is titled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,” and would cement abortion as a constitutional right in the state.
With the support of WRJ, RAC-FL collected over 17,000 signatures, contributing to the over 1 million signers needed to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the ballot. The amendment met all the required thresholds, and we celebrated the wins last December and February to get on the ballot as we turned our focus to Election Day 2024.
RAC-FL’s partnerships expanded early in 2024 as we welcomed WRJ into our work. Our collaboration with WRJ is rooted in our shared commitment to abortion access and the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. WRJ has been involved in the fight for reproductive freedom for several years, issuing their first resolution about reproductive freedom in Birth Control Literature (1935) and acknowledging the necessity of abortion access for the first time in Judaism and the Family (1965). Recently, WRJ passed its resolution “Reaffirming our Commitment to Reproductive Rights Post-Dobbs,” in which they have doubled down on their advocacy for reproductive healthcare, knowing that the situation is tenuous for many across North America. We welcomed the partnership and the support of sisterhoods, women’s groups, and individual members here in Florida and throughout North America.
Our coalition has turned its focus to growing our teams, hosting phone banks, and post-carding. In the fall, we will be texting and knocking on doors here in Florida. We are working hard to reach the 60 percent threshold required to pass the measure, encouraging voter turnout through continued education around the amendment. We will work to ensure that every Floridian from the east coast to the west coast, across every city and town, can access the ballot on Tuesday, November 5, that abortion wins, and is enshrined in the Florida constitution.
We are motivated by the wins in other states since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ending the Constitutional right to abortion. Since then, abortion has been on the ballot in eight states, and in each case, reproductive freedom has won! In November, we could make Florida the ninth state in which voters secure abortion access. Until then, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Florida’s near-total abortion ban has had a devastating impact on our communities, and each day the ban remains, Amendment 4 grows even more necessary. A public health crisis has emerged in the Southeast. Before the ban, Florida providers offered abortion care to more patients than any other state except California. States that still protect abortion cannot be expected to absorb Florida’s patient base, as well as those traveling from other states in the Deep South to seek care.
On May 1, the day the ban took effect, a patient who was exactly six weeks pregnant visited a Planned Parenthood clinic. This patient had scheduled an appointment for several days in advance of the ban but could not get off work and needed to reschedule, not realizing she would lose her options for care in Florida. Those few days made a world of difference. She missed the window for receiving abortion care in her state and was forced to travel more than 500 miles to Virginia to access care. Most patients are forced to travel to North Carolina, the closest state with access, but it is still an 11+ hour drive from South Florida.
That story is just one devastating example of the many unfolding emergenices across Florida. We know that abortion bans are disproportionately harmful to marginalized communities, who are already more likely to face financial, geographic, and systemic barriers to accessing healthcare. The harms are especially pronounced for Black and Brown women who face an increased risk of maternal mortality. Undocumented people, young people, those with low incomes, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas all face additional barriers to accessing care in Florida.
Together is the only way we can win, and I challenge you to ask yourself how you can be a part of history. This November, Floridians will have the opportunity to Vote Yes on 4, a ballot amendment to limit government interference with abortion. This is our best path forward: restoring access to care and putting power back in the hands of the people where it belongs. We need everyone's hands on deck to ensure this amendment passes and to continue the sweeping victories of states that have won since the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
What actions can you take? You can host postcard parties at your congregation, community spaces, or home. Join us virtually at one of our monthly phone banks to Florida voters. Challenge your sisterhood and women’s group to attend one of our monthly action nights. Sign up to receive email updates from RAC-FL and WRJ. Check out WRJ’s webpage with resources on reproductive health and rights. Reach out to Rena Crawford, Rachel Landis, or me to brainstorm how your community, sisterhood or women’s group, or congregation can support the work here in Florida.
History is within our reach. Don’t miss your chance to march with us as we create a Florida that is a bastion of justice, compassion, and wholeness.