Florida Abortion Initiative Tops 400,000 Signatures

Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights have topped 400,000 valid petition signatures submitted to the state.

The total reflects signatures that have been validated, not necessarily the overall number of signatures collected. Floridians Protecting Freedom would need to submit at least 891,523 valid petition signatures to get on the 2024 ballot.

Also, it would need the Florida Supreme Court to approve the proposed ballot wording. The committee has submitted enough signatures to trigger a Supreme Court review, though it remains unclear when that review will take place.

Floridians for Protecting Freedom announced the ballot initiative in May after the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bill that seeks to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The proposed amendment would bar laws that restrict abortion “before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Fill out and print the petition HERE

Florida Supreme Court will decide the future of abortion access in the state

The Florida Supreme Court is pondering a law that could lead to abortions essentially being banned in Florida.

In September the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida v. State of Florida. It challenges the state’s 2022 law banning abortion in Florida past 15 weeks of pregnancy.

More HERE

Florida's post-Roe v. Wade abortion uptick

States near those that banned abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned saw sharp increases in the number of procedures performed, likely due to an influx of out-of-state patients, according to a new analysis from the Guttmacher Institute.

Florida has long been a refuge for people living in southern states with abortion bans. The state saw a 13% increase in the procedure over the last three years, based on a comparison of 2020 and 2023 data for the first six months of each year.

We're likely picking up patients from Georgia, whose number of abortions went down 18% over the last three years. The state's six-week abortion ban went into effect last summer.

More HERE

GOP struggles to unify on abortion messaging

Republicans are struggling over how to craft their message on abortion, an issue that has repeatedly kneecapped GOP candidates and that is seen as a huge problem next November. 

No consistent message has emerged from the GOP presidential field, which has been all over the map with its strategies for winning over voters on the issue.

More HERE

COURT BATTLE: Planned Parenthood takes on Florida abortion ban

Planned Parenthood lawyer Whitney White provided a statement after arguing the case: “The state has now asked the court to wipe out any constitutional protection for Floridians’ ability to have an abortion at all, clearing the way for Florida to enforce Gov. DeSantis’ ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, a time when many people don’t even know they are pregnant. The Florida Supreme Court should respect the rule of law and protect the right of people to make personal medical decisions during pregnancy for themselves.”....MORE

Florida abortion rights at stake as state Supreme Court takes up challenge to GOP-led restrictions

Takeaways from Tallahassee — The workaround

Florida is one of 17 states that allows citizens to take a route around the black robes and lawmakers with the citizen-initiative amendment process.

Harnessing that privilege, a movement is on to make abortion rights explicit in the state constitution, moving them back to what they were the day before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

More HERE

CAUGHT: 19 Republican AGs BLASTED by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow

A group of 19 Republican state attorneys general is demanding full access to the medical records of anyone seeking an out-of-state abortion.....MORE

On the abortion front, Florida faces a clash between potential ballot proposals in 2024

Last weekend in Miami Beach, organizers behind a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access on next year’s ballot say they’ve gathered more than 420,000 petitions and raised more than $4.7 million in just two months — but opponents are trying to slow their momentum.

While it’s received little media attention, a group called Protect Human Life Florida is working on their own effort to collect signatures for what they are calling the Human Life Protection Amendment, setting up a potential clash on abortion proposals on the November ballot in 2024.

More HERE

Democrats ask DOJ to protect ability of patients to travel out of state for abortion

A group of Senate Democrats urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday to protect the ability of Americans to travel outside their home states to obtain abortions, as some Republican-led states look to crack down on out-of-state abortion access.....MORE

One year after Dobbs, Democratic momentum on abortion continues

It’s been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the widely unpopular Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health ruling, which ended the constitutional right to abortion, upending 50 years of precedent. Over the last 12 months, the American public’s already strong support for abortion rights has become even more entrenched, and the draconian bans imposed in Republican-controlled states have triggered a seismic shift in the political landscape — one that is advantageous to Democrats — surrounding the issue.....MORE

In post-Roe era, House Republicans begin quiet push for new restrictions on abortion access

When the Supreme Court issued its abortion ruling last June overturning Roe v. Wade, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said "our work is far from done.” He didn't say what might come next.....MORE

Record-high 69 percent in new poll say first-trimester abortion should be legal

A record-high 69 percent of Americans in a new Gallup poll said that abortion should be legal throughout the first trimester of pregnancy.....MORE

63 percent now say abortion pill should be available with prescription: Gallup

Almost two thirds of Americans say they support keeping the FDA-approved abortion pill available to patients with a prescription, a new Gallup poll shows.....MORE

In just one month, Florida activists have gathered 100,000 signatures to get abortion on the 2024 ballot

Just about one month after launching a campaign to get abortion access on the state ballot in 2024, abortion rights advocates in Florida have gathered 100,000 signed petitions so far for the proposed ballot measure, according to a leader involved in the campaign, mobilizing thousands of volunteers across the state.....MORE

Print the Petition HERE

Fill it out and send it to

Post Office Box 4068 Sarasota, FL 34230

Recreational marijuana, abortion rights seek spots on 2024 ballot

Will recreational marijuana make it on the 2024 ballot? 

‘Smart and Safe Florida’ is just more than 100K signatures shy of the threshold to make it on the ballot. They have until Feb 1 to get there. Then if the ballot language is approved, it will go to the voters.

Earlier this week, abortion rights supporters launched a new campaign aimed at protecting access to abortions. The group "Floridians Protecting Freedom" is heading up the push and was recently formed after the state passed the new 6-week restriction on abortion.

More HERE

Florida group campaigns for a constitutional amendment supporting abortion rights

After the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a law to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, abortion-rights supporters want to take the issue to voters.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, a newly formed group, will hold a news conference Monday in Tallahassee to begin a campaign to pass a constitutional amendment supporting abortion rights, according to a news release Friday.

More HERE

Lawmakers and religious leaders vow to fight 6-week abortion ban

The signing of the 6-week abortion ban is still having ripple effects at the Florida Capitol.

On Monday, a new coalition of religious leaders and lawmakers vowed to continue the fight for abortion access in Florida, despite the 6-week ban already clearing the legislature and getting the governor’s signature.

More HERE

Tampa doctor says Florida's 6-week abortion ban will make more health officials leave the state

Florida’s new restrictive abortion law has many physicians questioning whether they’ll stay in the Tampa Bay area, especially if performing the procedure means risking their license, career and maybe even their freedom.....MORE

Florida GOP passes 6-week abortion ban; DeSantis supports it

The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law.....MORE