Abortion Advocacy Organizations Achieve the Petition Requirement to Include Abortion on Florida Ballot in 2024
Florida abortion rights groups reach petition threshold to secure ballot spot for state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in 2024 Over 910K petitions verified, a major step towards safeguarding women's reproductive autonomy
A coalition of supporters of abortion rights in Florida announced on Friday that they have obtained enough signatures to place a state constitutional amendment safeguarding the right to abortion on the 2024 ballot. Florida Division of Elections website has confirmed 910,946 petitions submitted by Floridians Protecting Freedom.
The group, Floridians Protecting Freedom, indicated that they required 891,523 ratified petitions to qualify for the ballot and anticipate formal confirmation from the Florida Division of Elections in the near future.
"The success of our campaign, reaching our petition goal in just eight months, demonstrates the overwhelming support and momentum to remove politicians from our private lives and health care decisions," stated campaign director Lauren Brenzel. "Many initiative campaigns never progress this quickly or efficiently, and we are confident that once given the chance to vote, voters will approve our amendment."
The language of the ballot measure, which is currently being contested by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, is still pending approval from the Florida Supreme Court. The proposed amendments state that "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."
Moody filed a legal brief in October, urging the Court to strike down the amendment, citing its vague and confusing language. Specifically, Moody contended that the wording is designed to deceive voters, pointing to terms such as "health," "viability," and "healthcare provider" as examples of ambiguous language.
The Florida Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on February 7. With five of the seven justices appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the court currently holds a conservative majority.
If the measure successfully reaches the ballot and receives at least 60% approval from voters, it will overturn Florida's existing 15-week abortion ban. A 6-week ban was passed by lawmakers in 2023, but it will only be enforced if the 15-week ban is upheld by the Florida Supreme Court.
