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Florida NOW Takes Action for Pro-Choice License Plates

By Myrah Hoffman, Orlando NOW

Orlando NOW is mobilizing to win approval of a pro-choice specialty license plate in Florida. After years of seeing only the "Choose Life" plates on the roads, Orlando NOW started a statewide campaign for a license plate with the opposing view.

Florida has approximately 100 specialty license plates, including the notorious "Choose Life" plate, which has brought in more than $4 million to provide funding for anti-choice groups to use in distributing biased anti-abortion propaganda. Pro-choice motorists don't have the opportunity to express their views on a government-issued specialty license plate, and Orlando NOW is working to change that.

"Every time I see the 'Choose Life' plate it reminds me how important it is to have our views expressed in the same venue. I figured we had to take action ourselves," said Cicely Scheiner, Vice President of Orlando NOW. In 2003, Gov. Jeb Bush passed legislation allowing the "Choose Life" plate to be available at an extra cost of $22 - $20 of which is given to anti-choice groups.

Florida NOW began the fight against the "Choose Life" plate by joining other organizations to sue the State of Florida for allowing political opinions to be expressed on government-issued license plates. In March 2003 the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that they could not sue the State of Florida to have the "Choose Life" plate discontinued.

"Seeing the anti-choice rhetoric displayed on over 40,000 cars in Florida prompted us to take a proactive stance," Scheiner said.

"At this point our message needs to be out there, we need to be heard, and our supporters have the right to display their message, just as the other side is displaying theirs."

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