Reproductive Rights News Roundup

(Some of the news stories below may require a subscription to read.) 

Florida Chief Justice Muniz’s tour for abortion opponents provokes concerns about court bias at critical moment
By Noreen Marcus
Florida Bulldog
As the raging national debate over abortion was starting to engulf the Florida Supreme Court last January, now-Chief Justice Carlos Muniz personally led a private courthouse tour for an anti-abortion crusader and his supporters.

Women lead men in new Florida voters after abortion ruling — will it be enough for Democrats?
By John Kennedy and Chris Persaud
Capital Bureau USA Today Network-Florida
Quinn Bohanek cried for hours when she heard the U.S. Supreme Court had ended the constitutional right to abortion, allowing states to enact outright bans or even criminalize women and girls seeking the medical procedure.

Florida doesn’t gain many new women voters after Roe ruling, but abortion issue remains
By Steven Lemongello
Orlando Sentinel
Some states have seen major gains in new women voters since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, a decision that outraged many. But that wasn’t the case in Florida.

Ad spending shows Dems hinging midterm hopes on abortion
By Steve Peoples and Aaron M. Kessler
Associated Press
Democrats are pumping an unprecedented amount of money into advertising related to abortion rights, underscoring how central the message is to the party in the final weeks before the November midterm elections.

Rubio is embracing Graham’s federal abortion ban. Florida Dems see an opening.
By Gary Fineout
Politico
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is co-sponsoring a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, giving critics another opening to attack him ahead of the November election on an issue that has energized Democrats.

Dems slam Sen. Marco Rubio for cosponsoring bill banning abortions nationally after 15 weeks
By Trish Christakis
CBS Miami
South Florida Democrats came together Thursday morning to criticize Republican Senator Marco Rubio for co-sponsoring a bill that would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks.

Lindsey Graham’s Abortion Ban Is Dividing GOP Senate Candidates In Swing States
By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux
FiveThirtyEight
Last week, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a 15-week federal abortion ban, to the consternation of many of his Senate colleagues.

Marco Rubio’s big gamble on abortion is a puzzling move
By Joe Henderson
Florida Politics
Marco Rubio just took what could be the biggest gamble of his political career. He is a co-sponsor of a bill from U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for a national abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Rick Scott sidesteps question about Lindsey Graham 15-week abortion ban bill
By A.G. Gancarski
Florida Politics
Though one Florida Senator has already signed onto U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s push for a ban on abortion past the 15th week of pregnancy, another isn’t as quick on the draw.

These corporations are backing the sponsors of a national abortion ban
By Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby
Popular Information
In May, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) clearly stated that he believed Roe v. Wade should be overturned and the abortion issue should be returned to the states.

More women registering to vote in Florida following Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
By Eric Glasser
WTSP Tampa Bay
As we close in on the midterm elections, it looks like more women are registering to vote.

Republicans tried to sidestep the issue of abortion. Now they’re seeking a reset.
By Jonathan Allen, Marc Caputo and Allan Smith
NBC News
Republicans’ first step was admitting they had an abortion problem. Now, GOP candidates are racing to limit self-inflicted damage — and trying to blunt Democrats’ edge on the issue — before November’s midterm elections.

Women’s freedom is the top issue in the governor’s race
By Charlie Crist
Tallahassee Democrat
“Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life…”

Charlie Crist blasts Ron DeSantis for abortion restrictions in new Spanish-language ad
By Jesse Scheckner
Florida Politics
A new Spanish-language ad from Charlie Crist’s gubernatorial campaign is bashing Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, including Florida’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Rubio takes unnecessary risk in siding with Graham on abortion bill
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Sen. Marco Rubio deserves points for consistency, although his co-sponsorship of a nationwide abortion ban casts doubt about his strategic judgment.

Florida Democrat seeks to pin down Republican congressional opponent on abortion
By William March
Tampa Bay Times
In local example of a national trend, Democrat Alan Cohn is pressing Republican Laurel Lee, his opponent in the east Hillsborough Congressional District 15, for an answer on whether she favors a nationwide law restricting abortion rights — so far unsuccessfully.

State again targets privacy clause in fight over Florida abortion ban
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Reiterating its stance that a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution does not protect abortion rights, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Thursday fired back at an attempt to halt a new law that prevents abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Fl Supreme Court issues, then retracts, order on anti-abortion law; what’s going on?
By Michael Moline
Florida Phoenix
The Florida Supreme Court issued an order rejecting a request by abortion providers to block enforcement of the state’s 15-week abortion ban — and then withdrew it, blaming an error by the court’s clerk’s office in releasing the order.

Is the key to a federal abortion ban in the Constitution? Proponents like Josh Hammer says yes.
By Jesse Scheckner
Florida Politics
It’s about 5 p.m. on Sept. 11 in one of several capacious conference rooms situated a short walk from the swimming pool of the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry in Aventura, and Josh Hammer is closing a short speech.

More out-of-state patients traveled to Florida for abortions after Supreme Court decision
By Arek Sarkissian
Politico
New data released Thursday shows that more than 600 people came from out-of-state to Florida to get abortions in July — the month after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

Abortions up a third in Jacksonville since 2021, healthcare data shows
By Stephanie Bennett
Action News Jax
New data from the Agency for Healthcare Administration show abortions increased 31 percent in Duval County from July 2021 to July 2022.

With new abortion limits, will faith-based groups step up to help pregnant women and the babies they fought to save?
By Liz Freeman
Naples Daily News
It’s a simple equation: Fewer abortions in Florida equals more children being born.

Here are the Florida counties with the most abortion procedures this year
Staff Report
WMNF Tampa Bay
A new state report shows that there have been 51,318 abortion procedures in Florida this year through September 6.

Orlando abortion clinic faces $193K fine for allegedly violating Florida law, fears bankruptcy
By Caroline Catherman
Orlando Sentinel
The Center of Orlando for Women is fighting a $193,000 fine from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration after the Orlando abortion clinic was found to have reportedly performed abortions without following a law that requires a 24-hour waiting period.

The debate over abortion access and Florida’s LGBTQ+ policies
By Katherine Hobbs
WJCT Jacksonville
For decades, Florida’s Constitution has protected the right to terminate a pregnancy. Since 1989, the privacy clause in the state Constitution has guaranteed access to abortion.

Leon County voters cite education, abortion as top issues in governor’s race
By Valerie Crowder
WFSU Tallahassee
Ahead of the November election for governor, Leon County voters say two issues are of greatest concern: education and abortion.

Karla Hernandez announces Florida tour on abortion rights policies
By Bob Hazen
WESH Orlando
Charlie Crist’s running mate in the race for governor came to Orlando on Wednesday morning, promising that protecting abortion will be one of his first actions if he wins.

Candidates focus on abortion rights in race for Florida’s 15th District
By Libbey Dean
WFLA Tampa
Heading into this November’s elections, abortion rights is a hot-button issue that has gained a lot of attention in key races. It has both Republicans and Democrats are drilling down on their messaging surrounding the topic.

‘Crisis pregnancy centers’ that oppose abortion questioned by U.S. Senate Democrats
By Jacob Fischler
Florida Phoenix
Seven U.S. Senate Democrats questioned a leading Ohio-based antiabortion group Tuesday about its practice of collecting personal information from patients seeking abortions.

Yes, expecting parents in Georgia can now claim their embryo as a dependent
By Ross Williams and Jill Nolin
Florida Phoenix
Even with a wave of new state-level abortion restrictions passing or taking effect this summer, Georgia’s law stood out because of its so-called personhood provisions that accompanied the better known six-week ban on the procedure.

Alan Cohn pushes Laurel Lee for answer on whether she’d back a federal abortion ban
By Jacob Ogles
Florida Politics
Democrat Alan Cohn is spotlighting comments Republican Laurel Lee made about abortion during her congressional Primary, and demanding she make clear whether she would let Congress pass a complete ban on terminating pregnancies.

The Catholic Church Is Bankrolling a Nationwide Assault on Women’s Rights
By Tessa Stuart
Rolling Stone
There was no winner in last month’s vote on abortion rights in Kansas.

Judge blocks Indiana abortion ban week after it took effect
By Tom Davies
Associated Press
An Indiana judge on Thursday blocked the state’s abortion ban from being enforced, putting the new law on hold as abortion clinic operators argue that it violates the state constitution.

Restrictions on Contraceptive Services Interfere with People’s Ability to Get Care and Use Their Preferred Contraceptive Method
Staff Report
Guttmacher Institute
Restrictive policies disrupt individuals’ access to sexual and reproductive health care, which in turn affects people’s ability to afford and use their preferred contraceptive method, according to two new Guttmacher Institute studies.

Is a fetus a ‘person’? A fringe idea could be the next post-Roe v. Wade chapter
Editorial
Miami Herald
A pregnant woman walks into an emergency room experiencing a miscarriage, or she gives birth to a stillborn.

Florida’s top court telegraphs its intent on abortion
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Florida of days gone by would not need a Nikki Fried to promise a statewide ballot initiative campaign to protect abortion rights after she recently lost a Democratic primary for governor.