Photos: Abortion advocacy group Florida Access Network launches statewide billboard campaign

Abortion rights and resources organization Florida Access Network has launched a new campaign to urge Floridians to join the fight for abortion access.

The campaign, called “The Future of Florida: Where Abortion Access Is a Reality,” features billboards and digital ads plastered across the state calling on Floridians to fight stigma and get involved. The campaign is designed to raise awareness about the critical function abortion funding plays in reproductive care, FAN says.

The campaign’s launch comes about five months after the Florida Supreme Court both approved a controversial six-week ban on abortions and ruled that Amendment 4 — to limit government interference with abortion — could appear on general election ballots in November, allowing Florida residents to vote on the measure.

Since the ruling, initiatives against the citizen-proposed measure have ramped up. Several political action committees, including the Florida Freedom Fund formed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, have raised millions of dollars and are unswayed in their position against the initiative.

Since May 1, Floridians seeking abortion care have turned to out-of-state travel and face increased logistical and financial difficulties when doing so.

“Abortion funds like ours have always been the backbone of reproductive care access,” said Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro, executive director of the Florida Access Network. “This campaign sends a clear message that we must come together as a community if we are going to build a future where everyone in Florida can access the care they need with dignity and compassion.”

Florida Access Network uses its resources to help clients pay for accommodations, travel expenses and child care while they seek reproductive healthcare. Ten percent of women in Florida know someone who has had difficulty getting an abortion since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, KFF reports.

Another component of the organization’s message is the notion that though elections come and go, the fight to shape Florida’s political and social landscape and protect reproductive healthcare is ongoing.

“Despite the relentless attacks, we believe in a Florida where we can all live our best lives, love who we love, and access the reproductive care we need,” said Piñeiro. “Floridians have always needed abortion care, and they always will. We’re here to ensure they get it, no matter what."

Florida Access Network collaborated with Florida native and artist Lizzie Suarez to design the artwork for the billboards and digital ads. Suarez has spent the last five years working with political organizations to create art that focuses on the topics of queer liberation, feminism, the criminal justice system and the climate. She often incorporates unique fonts, a vibrant array of colors and relevant information into her designs.

“Anyone who has done a road trip in our beautiful state is familiar with how ridiculous, false, and absurd the anti-abortion billboards are,” said Suarez. “It’s important to disrupt that visual landscape with pro-abortion messages that envision a freer, safer Florida for millions of us who call the state home.”

Emergency Medical Assistance has joined FAN’s mission as well, pledging to assist Floridian residents in their reproductive decisions. The organization’s efforts have allowed the billboards to expand into corners of South Florida, including Fort Pierce and Pompano Beach.

The campaign urges those who are “feeling down about the state of abortion access in Florida” to look up — presumably at the colorful billboards reminding natives and residents of the Sunshine State the fight for reproductive justice is as potent as ever.