(TheConservativeTimes.org) – According to reports, pro-choice advocates in Florida are pushing for a referendum to be placed on the state constitution next year to make abortion legal in the state. Currently, abortion is illegal in Florida after the 15th week of pregnancy.
One hundred fifty thousand Floridian Republican voters have put their names to a petition requesting an amendment to the constitution that would protect a woman’s right to abortion until the embryo reaches viability, typically around the twenty-fourth week of gestation.
Pro-abortion groups must collect verified signatures from over 900,000 registered voters by the conclusion of December.
Anna Hochkammer, director of the nonpartisan Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, claims the majority of Floridians are opposed to a ban on abortion and need clear constitutional language that forbids the government from interfering with abortion access.
Reports reveal many national Republican leaders have found themselves in a political quagmire because of this problem.
Women’s rights organizations organized protests and cross-party support for pro-choice politicians and ballot initiatives in response to last year’s Roe v. Wade decision.
Historically Republican states like Kentucky and Kansas to more moderate ones like deep-blue Vermont and California, seven states have passed legislation to safeguard abortion since.
Reports show Ashley Moody, the Republican attorney general of Florida, has promised to challenge the suggested ballot measure in court, arguing that its two-sentence language is intentionally vague and intended to mislead voters regarding the extent of the reproductive rights it would provide.
Moody stated that the lack of definitions for “health” and “health-care provider,” is sufficient to mislead voters and might lead to future legal complications.
Anti-abortion organizations have also stated their intention to defeat the amendment next year should it be put to a vote.
The Florida Family Policy Council’s (FFPC) director of legislative affairs, Aaron DiPietro, slammed the proposal, calling it excessive and misleading since it would legalize abortion on demand and enable abortions for almost any reason up to nine months into the pregnancy.
According to DiPietro, Florida has the best organization in the country to oppose this amendment, which would override almost all of the state’s reasonable safety laws governing abortion.
Copyright 2023, TheConservativeTimes.org
