Florida Collects Enough Signatures To Put Pro-Choice Initiative On November Ballot
HuffPost
It's a big milestone for pro-choice advocates, but the conservative state Supreme Court still needs to sign off on the amendment before it reaches the ballot.
Abortion rights advocates in Florida have officially collected enough signatures to put a pro-choice amendment on the ballot in November.
The state’s Division of Elections reported that the petition to put abortion on the ballot has received 911,029 verified signatures, as of Friday morning. The state requires 891,523 signatures for an amendment — a big hurdle in Florida, which has seen some of the most high-profile abortion battles since the Supreme Court repealed federal protections in 2022.
The amendment seeks to guarantee access to abortion care up to fetal viability, which is usually around 24 weeks. Although hitting the threshold is a big milestone, the state Supreme Court ― known to lean conservative ― still has to sign off on the wording of the proposed ballot initiative.
“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,” the amendment states. As of now, the amendment clarifies that it would not change the state’s current law that requires parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion.
Abortion rights advocates celebrated the win on Friday, knowing it’s a critical step in a highly contentious abortion battle that’s been ongoing in the state.
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