TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-- As Ron DeSantis wages war on reproductive rights to appeal to his MAGA base and tours the country in hopes of securing the Republican presidential nomination, Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights activist groups are fighting back, launching an effort to put abortion on the Florida ballot next year just three weeks after DeSantis signed a six-week near-total abortion ban into law. The multi-million-dollar initiative “would roll back one of DeSantis’ signature policies by allowing abortion until a fetus is viable at about 24 weeks of pregnancy” and would “let the patient’s healthcare provider determine fetal viability.” Abortion-rights groups and many Democrats “see constitutional amendments as a winning strategy to boost election turnout, having pulled off several ballot initiative victories, including in red states such as Kansas and Kentucky last year.” “Ron DeSantis and Republican legislators who do his bidding have no business telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. Period. Abortion care is a personal decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor, not bureaucrats in Tallahassee,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “Voters across the state, regardless of party, are sick and tired of DeSantis’ fascist policies and are ready to fight back, and when they do, the Florida Democratic Party will be here to take them in.” POLITICO: DeSantis courts evangelicals with strict abortion law; opponents counterpunch in his backyard May 5, 2023 Sally Goldenberg and Megan Messerly Key Points - Planned Parenthood is launching an effort to put abortion on the Florida ballot next year — setting the stage for a high-profile battle with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares to run for president.
- The multi-million-dollar initiative…would roll back one of DeSantis’ signature policies by allowing abortion until a fetus is viable at about 24 weeks of pregnancy.
- Planned Parenthood and partner organizations intend to spend millions of dollars as they seek to gather roughly 890,000 valid signatures by Feb. 1 across a state that has become increasingly conservative. By comparison, a 2024 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana has already raised $30 million.
- The abortion-rights effort promises to keep the contentious issue top of mind during the presidential election, while likely energizing the state’s Democratic base. It also stands to have significant implications for the future of reproductive health care in the Sunshine State, which became a haven in the South for abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
- The measure proposes letting the patient’s health care provider determine fetal viability, according to ballot language shared with POLITICO. It would not roll back existing parental notification rules.
- And three-quarters of respondents to a University of North Florida poll in March — including 61 percent of Republicans — reported opposing a six-week ban.
- Abortion-rights groups and many Democrats see constitutional amendments as a winning strategy to boost election turnout, having pulled off several ballot initiative victories, including in red states such as Kansas and Kentucky last year.
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