Florida abortion providers brace for six-week ban: ‘Where are these 80,000 patients gonna go?’
On Monday, the Florida state supreme court upheld a 15-week abortion ban, a move that removed the barriers for a separate, six-week ban that takes effect on 1 May. In a separate ruling, the court also agreed to let Florida residents weigh in on the issue through a November ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution – a decision that opens a new front in an election that is already sure to be dominated by abortion politics.
Read more at The Guardian
Florida Supreme Court approves abortion restriction — and ballot measure that would overturn it
The court’s ruling on the 15-week law hinged on a decision to reconsider how the state Constitution’s privacy protections, which since 1989 have included the right to abortion. Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court’s conservative majority held that logic no longer applied.
Read more at 19th News
Florida Supreme Court allows 6-week abortion ban to take effect, but voters will have the final say
Allowing the measure to appear in November could also have political consequences: Putting the decision to expand access to abortion in the hands of voters could help drive turnout in Florida among Democrats, as well as independents and Republicans who strongly support reproductive rights. That could boost the prospects of Democrats up and down the ballot in the state, where key races for president and the U.S. Senate this year are likely to be closely decided.
Read more at NBC News
Florida Supreme Court upholds strict abortion bans while giving voters a say in November
More broadly, anti-abortion groups have in the last two years deployed a wide range of tactics to keep abortion-rights proposals off the ballot, including pushing bills in statehouses that would make it harder to pass constitutional amendments, working with GOP attorneys general and secretaries of state to stymie the initiative process, and challenging the measures in court.
Read more at Politico
Florida Supreme Court hands down two key abortion decisions
“This is about to create an unprecedented public health crisis in the state of Florida. This is the largest single loss of care that we’ve seen since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and we can’t fully understand what the impact will be,” said Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 initiative.
Virginia is now the only state in the South that allows abortion beyond the first trimester.
Read more at The Hill