Our Worst Fears Confirmed

Abortion is still legal. It’s still your right. But the Supreme Court is prepared to end your constitutional right to abortion. Our country is facing an abortion access crisis.

By this summer, 26 states could move to ban abortion — affecting 36 million women, plus more people who can become pregnant. This is personal.

May 14th – we rally.

Sign Up for ‘Bans Off’ Events Near You

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2022

Contact: Kat Duesterhaus | communications@flnow.org | 772-267-6353

Orlando – Today, Debbie Deland, president of Florida National Organization for Women, released the following statement in anticipation of HB 5, Florida’s abortion ban bill, arriving on the Governor’s desk for approval or veto.

Statement from Debbie Deland, president of Florida NOW:

“Ron DeSantis travels the state crusading for his version of freedom. He admonishes young people to remove masks and school systems to end Covid safety protocols to protect liberty. Throughout the pandemic, he has seen such measures as limiting Floridians’ ability to live their lives freely, inhibiting our pursuit of happiness.

“Yet, this same man has promised to sign the most draconian of restrictions on bodily autonomy in Florida history. The abortion ban bill he is waiting to hit his desk for signature criminalizes doctors who offer abortion care to patients beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for most fetal abnormalities or for survivors of rape or incest.

“A long-held principle of the National Organization for Women is our affirmation that reproductive rights are issues of life and death, not mere matters of ‘choice’. The right to abortion is fundamental to a person’s participation in the social and economic life of the nation. Generations have relied on this right to shape their lives and futures.

“Floridians do not need cruel bans that result in the criminalization of medical care. Every person and every pregnancy is different. The complexities of this must be acknowledged. Patients’ and families’ decisions must be listened to and respected. One-size-fits-all restrictions have no place in health care delivery or the state’s public health laws.

“NOW knows that access to safe and legal abortion is a cornerstone to reproductive justice. Restricting reproductive rights is anti-justice, anti-public health, and anti-liberty. Governor DeSantis, the leader of the supposed ‘freedom state’ of Florida must veto HB 5.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 24, 2020

CONTACT: ROBIN D. HARRIS
FLORIDA NOW RACIAL JUSTICE TASK FORCE
RACIALJUSTICE@FLNOW.ORG

Orlando, Fl—-On August 7, 2020, 22 year old Salaythis Melvin, a young black man, was executed by an Orange County Deputy. The officer claimed he feared Melvin was reaching for a gun. However, Melvin was shot in the back while running away. Video frame-by-frame shows the young man running and posing no threat.  Around 39 seconds into the video footage that has been released to the public,  Melvin can be seen running full speed across the parking lot, and then he is seen shot in the back. Immediately, he falls to the ground with one hand up, and then he stretches out flat on the ground. Four deputies stand over him with guns drawn shouting and cursing at him to keep his hands up.  At least 2 to 3 minutes pass before he is rendered any sort of aid.  Even though a pulse was found by one of the deputies, the other deputy opposed providing further aid to Mr. Melvin.

The murderous officer has been identified as James Montiel. Montiel’s bodycam was not on. The video footage captured was from another deputy’s camera. Since the deadly shooting, Montiel is on administrative leave with pay.

Kenosha, WI—-Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back seven times by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin late Sunday evening on August 23, 2020. Video was captured and shared to social media. It shows two officers following him with guns drawn as he walks away to get inside of his car. As Blake tries to enter the vehicle, one of the officers grabs him by the shirt and unloads at least several shots into his body. This all takes place while Blake’s children are in the vehicle witnessing the tragic event. Police were called to the address due to a domestic disturbance. Witnesses say that Mr. Blake was endeavoring to break that fight up upon the officers arrival.

The Florida NOW Racial Justice Task Force stands in solidarity with the victims, their families, friends, and the protesters who are demanding answers, and the immediate firing of officers in both shootings. We find both incidents to be a complete disregard for black lives and black communities.

We therefore demand the immediate termination of the officers who failed to Protect and Serve the citizens of these communities. Both incidents have perpetuated trauma and despair in the Black Community. We also demand the immediate withdrawal of all domestic military occupation. We stand by efforts to defund and/or abolish policing systems that no longer serve to protect. We support every effort of self-determination in marginalized communities that provide citizens the power to define the role of the police so that law enforcement no longer functions as an agency that continues to commit genocidal behavior.