Mobile ad campaign urges pro-choice men in Miami to get involved
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A moving billboard visits Wynwood, urging pro-choice men to act. Photo: Courtesy of Men4Choice
A new fleet of mobile billboards is hoping to coax young men in Miami into the fight for abortion rights.
- "Men, reproductive freedom is your fight, too," one ad says. Another: "We cannot let anti-choice extremists control our families and loved ones."
Why it matters: The ads may seem out of place in Wynwood, where visitors come to shop, dine and drink — but Men4Choice, the group behind the campaign, says it's simply meeting men where they are.
Driving the news: Mobile ads and billboards popped up this month in Miami and around the country to get men who already support abortion rights more involved.
- Most men support legal abortions but are usually less likely to speak out because they think it's a woman's issue, Men4Choice deputy executive director Aaron Bos-Lun told Axios.
- They often "don't think about [abortion] because it's not their bodies or they think it's not their place. They have the right instinct, but no action."
Caveat: While men and women in other age groups tend to support abortion at similar rates, some studies have found a gender gap among younger people.
- A 2022 survey found that 70% of women 18-29 supported legal abortion in most or all cases, but only 58% of men in that age group did.
Zoom in: The campaign aims to "get men off the sidelines" and "thinking of themselves as allies and stakeholders," Bos-Lun says.
- That's why the ads and billboards include QR codes to offer "a playbook" on how to engage and become more active.
- Per Bos-Lun, that could be phone banking for pro-choice leaders or engaging in conversations with other men about what's at stake.
The intrigue: The organization earlier this year partnered with Doug Emhoff, husband of presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
- Emhoff has pushed men to become more vocal when it comes to abortion rights.
Catch up quick: In May, Florida's six-week abortion ban went into effect and almost immediately caused disruptions for patients seeking care.
- Voters in November will weigh in on Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
- It needs support from 60% of voters to succeed.
The bottom line: "We want everyone to do something [and] that'll mean different things for different people," Bos-Lun said.
- For men, he added, "the first thing to do is talk to people in your lives, especially other men."