Florida clears way for ballot initiative
State supreme court ruled Monday that vote could go before voters
Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that the proposed constitutional amendment that would protect abortion rights could go before voters.
Activists greeted the decision that came down on Monday enthusiastically and with an eye ahead to what’s next–a long campaign to generate support for the vote that will take place on Nov. 5. The ballot initiative, known as Amendment 4, states taht no law should prohibit or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the mother’s health. The amendment specifically lays out that it does not deal with parental notification.
Lauren Brenzel, Campaign Director for the Yes on 4 campaign, said she was thrilled that the Florida Supreme Court ruled the way it did.
“The fact is, we can never know what someone else is going through – we’re not in their shoes,” Brenzel said. “That’s why we must vote ‘yes’ on this amendment: to keep government out of our exam rooms and make sure Florida families and the doctors who treat them can make the decisions that are right for them.”
Last year, former Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll joined with a group of prominent former Republican elected officials in Florida in signing on to a brief with the Florida Supreme Court in support of placing the ‘Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion’ on the 2024 General Election ballot.
“Some of us who signed on to this brief are ideologically opposed to abortion,” Carroll said. “Others believe that government interference with these most private of medical decisions should be extremely limited. But we all believe that Floridians should be the ones to decide. This November, they will.”
Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, reiterated what others said about the decision.
“The extraordinary groundswell of grassroots support Amendment 4 has received is no surprise to us. Today’s decision paves the way for Florida voters to stop these ridiculous abortion bans once and for all.
“We now look forward to voters enshrining Amendment 4 in our state constitution this November, and returning these decisions back where they belong: in the hands of patients and those they trust, rather than meddling politicians.”
I do have some notes to add to this simply from a commentary standpoint. In most of the states that have made progress–Ohio, Arkansas, Florida–there has been a limit conceded in the proposed amendment. In Ohio and Florida, it was the point of viability. In Arkansas, it’s at 18 weeks.
While I and others personally prefer the laws to be framed as the New York or California statutes are written, it’s important to see that in battleground states the local political realities and sensibilities dictate whatever approach makes the most sense there. The abortion rights movement has had the success it’s had and has grown as powerful as it has in recent years because it trusted and empowered local activists with decisionmaking and rhetoric-shaping. That will hopefully continue, even in a presidential year.