Left-wing activists working to put abortion on the ballot in Florida this year have exceeded the number of signatures the state needs to move forward with abortion, according to data from the Florida Department of Elections. show.
As of Sunday, the initiative's lead sponsor, Floridians Protecting Freedom, had collected 911,169 signatures, which is more than the 891,523 needed to qualify the initiative for voting. exceeds. The total is not official until the Secretary of State determines that the necessary signatures have been obtained and issues a voting location certificate. according to Go to the election office.
Floridians who protect freedom union Left-wing groups like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Florida.language of initiative state: “Except as provided in Article The provisions cited allow state legislatures to require parental notification before a minor obtains an abortion, and do not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion.'' Another option is to ask permission from the government.
An abortion rights activist holds a sign during a protest in support of abortion access on July 13, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (John Parra/Getty Images, MoveOn)
If the measure survives the 2024 vote, it would need approval from 60% of voters to take effect.
Abortion is legal in Florida up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, but future decisions on the law are expected to be decided by the state Supreme Court. If this continues, the six-week abortion limit signed into law will go into effect in April 2023.
Whether the abortion bill appears on the ballot will also be determined by the state's highest court, which will decide whether to approve the language after a challenge from Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody. It needs to be finalized by January. The Florida Supreme Court has listen Arguments in the case will be held on February 7th.
Florida is one of about a dozen states where abortion could be on the ballot this year.
Supreme Court dobbs decision was overturned Roe vs. Wadecreated a federal “right” to abortion in the Constitution, returned power to the states and their elected representatives, and changed the nature of the struggle between the pro-life movement and the abortion industry. Pro-abortion groups and activists, with support from affiliates of large left-wing organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, hope that the transition from federal to state will strengthen and even grow the abortion complex. And so, they are secretly turning their attention to voting strategies. Power.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks with supporters before signing a 15-week abortion ban Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Kissimmee, Florida. (AP Photo/John Rau, File)
And so far, their plan is working—every abortion-related ballot measure since fall 2019 has been successful. egg Succeeded. During the 2022 special election, Kansas rejected a ballot measure that would have excluded abortion rights from the state constitution. During the 2022 midterm elections, voters in California, Michigan, and Vermont codified abortion into their constitutions. At the same time, voters in Montana rejected a ballot measure that would have given rights to babies born alive after botched abortions. Kentucky voters also rejected an amendment similar to Kansas'. On November 7, Ohioans also voted to codify a supposed “right” to abortion into the state constitution under Issue 1.
Anna Hochkamer, executive director of the Florida Women's Liberation Coalition and campaign organizer for the ballot initiative, said part of the signature-gathering success was due to Ohio No. 1. interview and politiko.
“What Ohio State did was take a lot of skeptical people who didn't want to believe what the numbers were saying and gave them permission to believe this was possible,” Hochkammer said. .
