Florida Planned Parenthood PAC announces Senate and House candidate endorsements
WEST PALM BEACH – The Florida Planned Parenthood PAC today announced its latest slate of legislative and local endorsements ahead of Florida’s critically important 2022 midterm election. The endorsements come following passage earlier this year of Florida’s most restrictive anti-abortion law in history – a 15-week abortion ban without exceptions for victims of rape, incest, or human trafficking. Moreover, the landmark Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the United States Supreme Court, taking away our federal constitutional right to abortion and sowing chaos and confusion in Florida and across the country.
Each endorsed candidate has returned a questionnaire reaffirming their commitment to reproductive freedom, and their opposition to any policies that limit access to abortion or reproductive health care. In addition, each candidate endorsed by the PAC already has a proven track record of voting for abortion rights and/or their general election opponent has a clear history of voting against reproductive health.
“Every one of these endorsed candidates exemplifies our firm commitment to ensuring Floridians can access the full range of reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortion,” said Laura Goodhue, Director of the Florida Planned Parenthood PAC. “The fall of Roe is an urgent reminder that, in order to stop the assault on the fundamental freedom to control our own bodies, Floridians must make their voices heard at the ballot box this fall.”
The newest slate of endorsements targets elections that will be critical to securing additional pro-reproductive health members in the Florida Legislature. With reproductive health under attack at all levels of government, the PAC is also announcing endorsements in two local races. The full list of candidates endorsed by the Florida Planned Parenthood PAC can be found here. Additional endorsements will be announced in the future.
“Anti-abortion politicians continue plotting how to take away our rights and control of our bodies, with the ultimate goal of making abortion completely inaccessible in Florida and across the country,” said Goodhue. “Our PAC will work tirelessly to activate concerned citizens and send these reproductive health care champions to Tallahassee and stop the continued assault on our most basic rights and freedoms.”
Abortion bans disproportionately harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color because of this country’s legacy of racism and discrimination. Additionally, folks with lower incomes already face barriers to accessing reproductive health care, and those challenges will heighten as abortion becomes more restricted across the country. Abortion providers in Florida are already working overtime to accommodate patients seeking care from nearby states that have even more restrictive abortion bans than Florida.
Polling consistently shows Floridians support abortion rights. A poll conducted by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab after Florida’s abortion ban passed showed that 60-percent of registered voters in Florida oppose the ban. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to undo Roe v. Wade, a CBS/YouGov poll found that 59% oppose the ruling, including 67% of women. 64% said they prefer abortion be legal in all or most cases in their home state.
“Every poll released since the court’s decision has shown that the majority of Americans oppose rolling back their rights,” continued Goodhue. “The polling also tells us supporters of abortion rights are highly motivated to support political leaders who will fight to protect abortion access, and our PAC has a robust campaign to help ensure their election.”