Floridians could decide abortion protections in 2024 ballot referendum

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida voters could take abortion policies out of the Legislature and Supreme Court’s hands next year if activists successfully get a proposed referendum on the 2024 ballot.

On Monday, Floridians Protecting Freedom, a Planned Parenthood-backed group, will formally announce their effort to write protections into the state constitution, which would keep abortions legal until a fetus’ viability, rather than the 15 weeks or six weeks that conservatives have pushed.

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Activists believe they have the voters on their side, citing polls that shows 64% of the state’s voters believe abortions should be legal in all or most cases.

“The decision to have an abortion belongs to Floridians, their families, and those they trust — this campaign is an opportunity to ensure those protections remain in our state constitution,” a press release said.

Read: Florida House passes 6-week abortion ban; when it should take effect

The activists behind the effort told Politico they will put millions of dollars into the campaign, which is starting relatively late for a ballot initiative. A proposed referendum on marijuana legalization has already collected almost all of the more than 800,000 signatures needed for consideration.

The backers of the referendum will have until Feb. 1 to gather the required number of signatures from each corner of the state.

Read: Orlando abortion clinic faces fine over waiting period

The referendum will undergo a review by the Florida Supreme Court to make sure the language is not unconstitutional or confusing to voters.

According to a Planned Parenthood spokesman, the proposed language will be:

Read: Record number of women traveled to Florida for abortions in 2022, data shows

“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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

Video: Gov. Ron DeSantis signs 6-week abortion ban Just hours after it passed the Florida House of Representatives, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he’d signed SB 300, the “Heartbeat Protection Act.” (Q McCray, WFTV.com)

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