Jax DSA begins canvassing to add abortion rights to the ballot in 2024

​Members and friends of Jax DSA met earlier in May to canvass on behalf of Floridians Protecting Freedom to add abortion rights to the ballot in Florida in 2024. 

We were graciously allowed to collect petition signatures outside a performance and panel discussion hosted by Unspoken Treasure Society at Rain Dogs. “Lift Every Voice: Stonewall Edition” included high-energy drag performances and highlighted the dangers for trans women of color in Duval County and our surrounding communities. 
This first canvassing opportunity came less than 24 hours after Floridians Protecting Freedom hosted their first petition training, attended by more than 700 volunteers interested in collecting petitions. We collected dozens of signatures and were met with a community of locals who were enthused about adding reproductive rights to the ballot.

Floridians Protecting Freedom is a statewide coalition of organizations and citizens working together to protect Floridians’ access to reproductive health care and to defend the right to bodily autonomy. 

Their citizen-led ballot initiative, the "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,” seeks to further codify that right into Florida law by creating a constitutional amendment that explicitly blocks the implementation of laws that prohibit, delay, or restrict abortion access. 

Article and Section Being Created or Amended: Creates – Article 1, New Section
Full Text of the Proposed Amendment: New Section, Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion
Limiting government interference with abortion.— Except as provided in Article X, Section 22, no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.

Unspoken Treasure Society, the host of the event, is an organization that “[exists] to inspire, empower, uplift, and create platforms to give a voice to voiceless Transgender and Gender Non-conforming persons of marginalized communities.”

Learn how to collect petitions, sign up for a training webinar or support Floridians Protecting Freedom at floridiansprotectingfreedom.com. To get more information about the next canvassing event with Jax DSA, join us on Discord or email us at jacksonvilledsa@gmail.com.