Florida
DeSantis et al. employing dirty tricks trying to thwart abortion ballot initiative
By Barrington Salmon, Florida Phoenix
Legendary reggae superstar Bob Marley warned us decades ago in his song, “Revolution,” to never trust a politician.
Abortion amendment supporters, opponents wrangle in courtroom over Florida health agency role in campaign
By Dara Kam, News Service of Florida
Supporters of a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution squared off Wednesday against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration before a Leon County circuit judge in a lawsuit accusing the state of illegally using public resources to spread “misinformation” about the ballot measure.
Related: Tallahassee trial judge promises quick ruling on Amendment 4 website
In abortion fight, Florida Gov. DeSantis says he’s exempt from election interference law
By Douglas Soule, USA Today Network-Florida
In opposing the state’s abortion rights ballot measure, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is saying she and Gov. Ron DeSantis are exempt from a state law barring them from using their “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election.”
Fraud claims in Florida: Were GOP casino allies treated softer than abortion advocates?
By Lawrence Mower, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
When the casino giant Las Vegas Sands started collecting signatures to change the Florida Constitution two years ago, the signs of fraud were rampant.
Florida investigates petition signatures; Floridians Protecting Freedom responds
By Leah Burdick, WMNF Tampa Bay
Election supervisors in Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach, and Osceola Counties have been asked to turn over for review about 36,000 signatures from petitions used to get an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot in Florida.
DeSantis Spends Taxpayer Money to Warn About ‘Legalized Marijuana,’ Defend Abortion Ban
By Andrew Perez, Rolling Stone
Conservative Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pulling out all the stops to oppose ballot measures to restore abortion access and legalize cannabis in the state — spending millions in taxpayer dollars on TV ad campaigns designed to undercut both measures.
Comcast, a Backer of Reproductive Rights, Donates to DeSantis’s Anti-Abortion PAC
By Marc A. Caputo, The Bulwark
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, telecommunications giant Comcast announced it would give employees seeking to terminate a pregnancy as much as $10,000 to travel from states with strict anti-abortion laws to those with greater protections.
CREW requests records on cost of anti-abortion “Florida Cares” website
Staff Report, Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
The ongoing fight over abortion in Florida now involves the state-sponsored website “Florida Cares,” which actively opposes Amendment 4—a citizen-led initiative aimed at reversing the state’s abortion ban.
Amendment 4 committee raises $7.8M in 1 week for reproductive rights initiative
By Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics
The Amendment 4 campaign was bolstered by $7.8 million in new donations — the most the group has raised in a single week — as the fight over Florida’s abortion rights intensifies.
Alarming report on women’s health in Florida underscores need for Amendment 4
By Aparna Asher, Tampa Bay Times
As a physician, I have dedicated my career to serving my patients, guiding them through some of the most critical moments of their lives. At the core of my practice is a commitment to acting in the best interest of those under my care — a commitment all doctors uphold when they take the Hippocratic Oath.
‘Emphasize abstinence’ in sex ed, Florida tells schools, skip lessons on contraception
By Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel
Florida has told school districts around the state that they may not teach teenagers about contraception, show them pictures depicting human reproductive anatomy or discuss topics such as sexual consent and domestic violence, according to district officials and an advocate for comprehensive sexual health education.
Related AP story: Florida officials pressure schools to roll back sex ed lessons on contraception and consent
A look at Florida’s abortion amendment on Facing South Florida
By Jim DeFede, CBS Miami
In about a month and a half Florida voters will decide Amendment 4, which would eliminate the state’s six-week abortion ban and would return Florida to what it was like before the U.S. Supreme Court struck Roe v. Wade.
Rick Scott faces peril with abortion on Florida’s ballot
By Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill
Sen. Rick Scott (R) faces a major test in the home stretch of his race for re-election, as Florida’s constitutional amendment on abortion puts the issue front and center in what appears to be an increasingly close race against former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who has been slamming him over his unabashedly anti-abortion position.
Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida
By Christine Fernando and Sejal Govindarao, Associated Press
When Lesley Chavez found out she was pregnant at age 16, she saw her daughter as a blessing from God and never considered an abortion, a view reinforced by her devout Christian mother.
Judge wants doctor to face $10K fine for abortions performed at Orlando clinic
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
An administrative law judge Thursday said a physician should face a $10,000 fine and a reprimand after she did not comply in 2022 with a law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before abortions can be performed.
Hialeah officials oppose Amendment 4, despite having no authority on abortion laws
By Steve Litz, NBC Miami
The city of Hialeah delved into the issue of abortion, approving a motion on Tuesday that opposes Florida’s Amendment 4.
Abortion bill rights a legislative wrong for Florida women and the presidency
By Miles J. Zaremski, Orlando Sentinel
My entire professional legal career of over half a century has been devoted to the crossroads of law, medicine and health care, from practitioner to author to an academic.
Your Tax Money at Work — Politically
By Bill Cotterell, News Service of Florida
There’s nothing new or surprising about a governor influencing a referendum on a constitutional amendment, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has trampled some ethical and legal lines in trying to torpedo the abortion proposal on Florida’s November ballot.
“Unlike other amendments, Amendment 4 has no definitions. … Without definitions these words can mean almost anything.” MOSTLY FALSE
By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact
Florida’s Amendment 4 aims to expand abortion rights. It is very short — a single paragraph.
National
‘She should be alive today’ — Harris spotlights woman’s death to blast abortion bans and Trump
By Colleen Long, Amanda Seitz and Josh Boak, Associated Press
Kamala Harris blasted Donald Trump as a threat to women’s freedoms and their very lives, warning in a speech in the battleground state of Georgia on Friday that Republicans would continue to choke off access to abortion if he returns to the White House.
Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida
By Christine Fernando and Sejal Govindarao, Associated Press
When Lesley Chavez found out she was pregnant at age 16, she saw her daughter as a blessing from God and never considered an abortion, a view reinforced by her devout Christian mother.
Did a Georgia Hospital Break Federal Law When It Failed to Save Amber Thurman? A Senate Committee Chair Wants Answers.
By Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica
The Georgia hospital that failed to save Amber Thurman may have broken a federal law when doctors there waited 20 hours to perform a procedure criminalized by the state’s abortion ban, according to Sen. Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
She was accused of murder after losing her pregnancy. SC woman now tells her story.
By Lauren Sausser, States Newsroom
Amari Marsh had just finished her junior year at South Carolina State University in May 2023 when she received a text message from a law enforcement officer.
Health plan floated by JD Vance could weaken protections for pregnant people
By Shefali Luthra, The 19th
A health care proposal suggested by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance could gut a popular Affordable Care Act protection, making it legal for companies to charge more for or deny coverage of expensive medical conditions, including pregnancy.
More women are charged with pregnancy-related crimes since Roe’s end, study finds
By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
It became more common for authorities to charge women with crimes related to their pregnancies after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, a new study found — even if they’re almost never accused of violating abortion bans.
Funds are cutting aid for women seeking abortions as costs rise
By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Organizations that help pay abortion costs are capping how much they can help as travel costs rise and the wave of “rage giving” that fueled them two years ago has subsided.
Addressing postpartum depression with new resources for mothers
By Trimmel Gomes, Public News Service Florida
As more babies are born during September than almost any other month, experts are calling attention to the critical need for postpartum depression resources.
Letters to the editor
Amendment 4 is about personal freedom, not abortion
By Jim James, Winter Garden, Orlando Sentinel
I know many are planning to vote against Amendment 4 because they are against abortion, but they need to understand that their votes aren’t against abortion, they’re against a woman’s right to choose. It’s not about objection to what you believe. Amendment 4 just states that you have a right to your individual belief, but you can’t make everyone else believe the same way you do. Let women choose their own beliefs — just like you can.
Why you should vote for Amendment 4
By H. Joan Waitkevicz, M.D., West Palm Beach, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Excerpt: High-risk obstetricians, who are most qualified to save the mother and infant, are becoming afraid to practice in Florida and other states with abortion bans. They may leave. Medical students cannot receive full ob-gyn training here, and recently certified ob-gyns are reluctant to move here. A vote for Amendment 4 is a vote to keep pregnancy decisions within the family where they belong. It is also a vote of support for the professionals who give good prenatal, birthing and postpartum care.
Yes on amendments 3, 4
By Kathleen Gumph, Naples, Fort Myers News-Press
Excerpt: While there a dear friend confided in us that at 11 weeks pregnant with her second child she began to mis-carry. Her husband carried her, bleeding, vomiting and barely conscious into a hospital where she received the reproductive health care she needed, a D&C. They were NOT turned away, were NOT sent home to wait in pain and trauma until she was closer to a politician’s definition of close to loss of life. Vote Yes on Amendment 4.
Vote Yes on Amendment 4
By Mershon Niesner, Naples, Coastal Breeze
Excerpt: I believe we need to trust women and their medical providers to make the best decision possible for themselves and their families. Vote YES on Amendment 4.