A crowd fighting for reproductive freedom in Florida marched Saturday at a downtown Orlando rally kicking off Yes on 4's official campaign for the November election.
Women who underwent the medical procedures, abortion providers and advocates spoke to the crowd, leading chants of "I believe that we will win!" before they marched around Lake Eola. About 2,000 people RSVPed in advance for the rally, according to the Yes on 4 campaign.
Missing from the podium were any elected officials — an intentional move because organizers want to portray abortion rights as a healthcare and freedom issue affecting real people that shouldn't be politicalized as Democratic or Republican.
"Abortion is personal. Not political!" said one woman's sign.
"My arm is tired of holding this sign from the 1960s," said another.
Voters will decide whether to protect abortion rights on the ballot as Florida is on the verge of having one of the most restrictive abortion rules in the country. The state's six-week abortion ban goes into effect May 1, the Florida Supreme Court recently decided.
"Shame! Shame!" the crowd chanted at mention of the upcoming ban as speakers said the government is overstepping into people's private lives and intervening in deeply personal medical decisions.
"There isn't a legislator out there who knows what better for my family than I do," said one speaker to a diverse crowd of different races, ages and both men and women.
Organizers collected more than 1 million signatures to get Amendment 4 on the ballot.
Previewing ahead what could be an emotional issue for some, a small group of anti-protestors outside Saturday's rally held signs accusing people of getting abortions as being murderers and saying the issue compares to slavery and the Holocaust.
Orlando Police were a highly visible presence although the day appeared peaceful.
A large number of Floridians are unsure where they stand on the ballot question, according to an early poll released this week.
Emerson College Polling said 42% of Florida voters supported abortion rights but a large number of voters — 32% — are still undecided. About 25% are against, according to the survey of 1,000 voters with +/- 3-percentage-point margin of error conducted over two days earlier this week.
To win in November, Amendment 4 needs at least 60% of the vote.
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