A Florida abortion access constitutional amendment will qualify for the 2024 ballot after collecting enough valid signatures.
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the campaign to put abortion access on the 2024 ballot in Florida, has now exceeded the total number of valid petitions required to put the question of abortion access in Florida to the voters.
As of a recent update, the Florida Division of Elections has verified 910,946 petitions submitted by the campaign; almost 20,000 more than the 891,523 needed by February 1, 2024. The campaign running the ballot initiative said they were thrilled that 250,000 of those petitions came from volunteers.
“The fact that we only launched our campaign eight months ago and we’ve already reached our petition goal speaks to the unprecedented support and momentum there is to get politicians out of our private lives and health care decisions,” said Campaign Director Lauren Brenzel. “Most initiative campaigns never make it this far. The ones that do usually spend far more or take much longer to qualify, which is why we’re so confident that voters will approve our amendment once they’re given a chance to vote.”
So far, out of seven states that have voted on abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned, all seven have affirmed support, including conservative states like Kansas, Kentucky, and most recently Ohio. States like Florida and Arizona are poised to follow suit in 2024. Democrats are hopeful an issue campaign focused on Florida abortion access will have a big impact on the upcoming elections.
“This is such an important milestone in the effort to ensure doctors like myself can properly care for our pregnant patients facing a wide variety of issues and potential complications,” said Dr. Cecilia Grande, OBGYN in Miami and member of the Committee to Protect Health Care Reproductive Freedom Taskforce. “Too often, access to abortion and other critical care is politicized at the expense of patients who just need timely and quality health care, not politicians trying to score political points. Once voters get a chance to weigh in, Florida will return to a time when patients and health care providers can decide together the best course of action in each unique circumstance.”
“Patients may need abortion care for a multitude of reasons, and health conditions can be complex and nuanced,” said OBGYN Dr. Shelly Tien. “Everyone should have the fundamental right to make these personal decisions that permanently impact the arc of their lives with the support of their loved ones and within the privacy of the physician-patient relationship. By passing this amendment, voters will proclaim loudly and clearly that the decision to have an abortion, to continue a pregnancy, to parent, or to make an adoption plan belongs to Floridians, their families and those they trust.”
While the Florida Division of Elections website is reporting the effort surpassed the required number of valid petitions to qualify for the 2024 ballot, the group expects to receive official notification from them soon.
Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody – who called Floridians Protecting Freedom’s initiative one of the “worst” – is also challenging the Florida abortion access amendment in court, arguing the ballot summary would “mislead voters.”
Florida Republicans are pushing a ban on nearly all abortions from the point of conception, including in cases of rape or incest, in new proposed legislation.
