Amendment 4 group debuts first Spanish TV ad, urges viewers to ‘protect moms’

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political committee behind the abortion rights initiative, is running its first Spanish-language TV spot to target Latino voters in the Sunshine State and sway them to vote “yes.”

The 30-second ad, whose title translates to “Protect Moms” in English, features Dr. Cecila Grande of Miami, who has worked in gynecology and obstetrics for more than 30 years.

Among other things, she discusses how 6 in 10 women who seek abortions are already mothers and the dangers of Florida’s current ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy — before many know they’re pregnant.

“As a woman of faith and a doctor, it is my sacred duty to protect women. My patients are often mothers, with children that need them, and now those women have to wait until they are at the brink of death to receive care,” Grande said in a statement.

“Since the near-total ban on abortion went into effect in May, not only have women’s lives been compromised, but doctors are also facing stiff penalties — from losing their licenses to jail time for providing reproductive health care to their patients.”

The new spot, which starts running Tuesday on Spanish TV stations across the state, is part of the organization’s multimillion-dollar ad campaign to build support for Amendment 4. It comes 11 days after a similar English-language ad in which Sarasota Dr. Jerry Goodman decries how Florida’s ban today “forces women to wait until the brink of death” before seeking care.

On the other side of the battle is Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose Florida Freedom Fund is bent on keeping Amendment 4 from passing, and apparatuses under the Governor’s sway like the state Agency for Health Care Administration, whose tax-funded anti-abortion messaging online has attracted multiple lawsuits.

There’s also Created Equal, a national group that has taken out ad space in Florida this month to claim that Amendment 4 will allow late-term abortions.

Amendment 4 needs 60% voter support to pass. DeSantis said there is a “1 in a million chance” of reversing the measure if it succeeds.

Polls show varying support for it. An Emerson College survey this month found 55% voter support, with 26% opposition. Another in July by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab showed 69% of likely voters favor Amendment 4.

The General Election is on Nov. 5.