One of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the nation is going into effect in Florida. Thanks to a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court, the procedure will be banned after six weeks, a time period so brief it’s possible that you won’t even know you’re pregnant.
This decision comes courtesy in part from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who signed the measure into law last year. Under his rule, Florida is rapidly becoming a quasi-theocracy. But DeSantis and his fellow extremists in the state legislature may not have the last word. The same day the Florida high court upheld the abortion ban, it also ruled in favor of a proposed state constitutional amendment that would protect the right to an abortion in Florida. The court approved language for Amendment 4, which will appear on the ballot this November.
Headed for the ballot
In Florida, amendments to the state constitution need 60% approval from voters to pass. Based on polling data, that’s doable. A poll taken late last year showed the initiative topping 60%. (Nationwide, two-thirds of Americans say abortion should be legal in the early stages of pregnancy.)
For too long, Florida has been a playground for bad Christian Nationalist proposals, including attacking LGBTQ+ people, banning books, whitewashing history and limiting reproductive rights.
No more cultural wars?
Some signs indicate that Floridians are growing weary of the constant emphasis on culture wars. Through this ballot initiative, they’ll have an opportunity to fix one of those issues in November – and at the same time rebuke the Sunshine State’s growing Christian Nationalism. Here’s hoping they do it, and that they’re not alone – efforts are also underway to add voter referendums on abortion rights in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.
P.S. Florida is far from the only state where Christian Nationalists are trying to crush reproductive rights. Read about the important work Americans United is doing to protect these rights in Missouri here.
Photo: An abortion-right rally in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
