Abortion rights activists highlight Florida fight on anniversary of Roe v. Wade falling

On the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Florida abortion rights activists are spotlighting their push to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this November.

“It’s still hard to believe that across the United States, we have regressed when it comes to women’s rights and reproductive freedom,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando. “As difficult as this reality is, we are fighting back.”

The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision reversed the landmark case on abortion that stood for nearly 50 years. Since then, the Republican-controlled Legislature banned abortion after 15 weeks, then enacted a six-week ban that took effect in May. The six-week ban includes exceptions, such as in cases of rape, incest and human trafficking, until 15 weeks of pregnancy.

But a grassroots effort to get an abortion rights initiative on the November ballot succeeded in Florida. If Amendment 4 gets at least 60% of the vote, it will change the law to allow women to get abortions until viability, which is around 24 weeks.

“We started planning our initiative to limit government interference with abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022 because we read the writing on the wall,” said Lauren Brenzel, Campaign Director for Yes On 4.

“Since that time, we’ve seen exactly what we feared would happen come to pass. Florida now has an extreme abortion ban that bans most abortions before women even realize they are pregnant, with no real exceptions.”

The campaign held its first major statewide volunteer canvassing drive this past week.

One doctor told reporters that pregnant women whose unborn babies have lethal anomalies are being turned away by their doctors, who are intimidated by the six-week ban and don’t want to care for them.

“There’s a lot of frustration and a lot of sadness and a lot of confusion about why this is happening … how politicians got to be so powerful in our clinics,” Cherise Felix said last week on a campaign call with Amendment 4. “It just doesn’t feel real. Doesn’t feel like this is the United States.”