The committee working to put abortion access on Florida’s ballot in 2024 has collected more than 600,000 petitions in the three months since the campaign launched. That figure puts the coalition more than halfway to its petition goal, and includes a remarkable 117,502 petitions collected by volunteers or mailed directly to the campaign by Florida voters.
Floridians Protecting Freedom is a statewide campaign of allied organizations and concerned citizens working together to protect Floridians’ access to abortion as reproductive health care and defend the right to bodily autonomy. According to FPF, fundraising for the campaign continues to be strong, with over $6.75 million dollars raised from more than 1,750 donors.
“Our grassroots momentum continues to build – even through the heat of the summer – as evidenced by these latest petition and fundraising totals,” said Lauren Brenzel, Campaign Director for Floridians Protecting Freedom. “Floridians are fighting back against the threat abortion bans pose to their freedom, and we are confident that will translate to success at the ballot box when voters are given the chance to vote on this critically needed amendment.”
The ballot initiative campaign comes at a pivotal time for abortion access in Florida and across the country. In the year since the Dobbs decision, abortion bans have eliminated or significantly restricted access to abortion in 20 states – including Florida, where a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy took effect in July 2022.
An upcoming ruling on that ban will determine the implementation of the six-week ban passed this year. Floridians have been forced to travel out-of-state for essential reproductive health care and to delay necessary medical care because of these laws. Democrats believe abortion bans deny people the freedom to decide what is best for their own bodies and futures. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and State Senator Lauren Book were arrested by Tallahassee police for protesting the bill to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
“Florida’s abortion ban denies Floridians the freedom not just to access essential reproductive health care, but to control their own bodies,” said Brenzel. “This amendment would protect Floridians’ freedom to access abortion without government interference, and we are excited to give Florida voters the chance to pass it in 2024.”
The progressive coalition gathering petitions is made up of groups like Planned Parenthood, ACLU Florida, SEIU, Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, Florida Rising, and 200 local, statewide, and national organizations. There are also over 100 supporting health care providers, according to FPF.
