State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-FL) has announced that the legality of abortion will be on the ballot in the 2024 election. Nearly 900,000 signatures and a threshold of verified petitions from at least 14 different congressional districts in the Sunshine State for this to happen.
Leader Book mentioned in a social media post that this issue is about "freedom, healthcare, and safety" for women.
We did it! As of today, the Florida Division of Elections is reporting that the Abortion Ballot Initiative has SURPASSED both the raw total petition number and congressional district spread needed to PUT ABORTION ON THE BALLOT!
Signatures came from everyone and everywhere,… https://t.co/gjMs96q67F
— Lauren Book (@LeaderBookFL) January 5, 2024
"We did it! As of today, the Florida Division of Elections is reporting that the Abortion Ballot Initiative has SURPASSED both the raw total petition number and congressional district spread needed to PUT ABORTION ON THE BALLOT! Signatures came from everyone and everywhere, proving once again this is not a Republican or Democratic issue — it’s about freedom, healthcare, and safety," said Leader Book.
She continued, "No woman and no doctor should fear imprisonment over abortion care. No woman or mother should face death because she can’t get proper care. That’s what this fight is about, and that’s why we will win."
In October, The Floridian obtained a petition that was being circulated during a political event at Florida State University.
Per the petition, no Florida law will “prohibit” or “restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.
This is how the potential amendment will read if the pro-choice movement is persuasive enough for Floridians come November.
“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.”
In April of 2023, Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed legislation that banned abortions after six weeks. It passed by a vote of 26-13 in the State Senate and 70-40 in the State House of Representatives.
After the decision from the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, states around the country have had their own say on the abortion issue. It could be the most important topic of the 2024 election.
