Reproductive Rights News Roundup – January 10th 2024

News Roundup 

Florida

6 million of us voted against Fla. abortion ban
By Lillian Tamayo, Palm Beach Post
What is a ‘mandate’? We hear the term bandied about by newly elected office holders following elections, as imprimaturs for enacting the so-called will of the people.

Florida counted 60,755 abortions in 2024. Miami-Dade residents had the most with 12,998
Staff Report, News Service of Florida
A state report dated Dec. 31 shows that 60,755 abortions had been reported in Florida in 2024.

Political group behind abortion rights campaign disbands
By Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
The political committee that pushed the proposed state constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution is disbanding.

Orlando OB-GYN fined $10,000 by the state medical board in abortion case
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
After the state Department of Health called for revoking the doctor’s license, the Florida Board of Medicine this week imposed a $10,000 fine and reprimand for a physician who did not comply in 2022 with a law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before abortions can be performed.

Sustainable birth and beyond with Charlie Rae Young and Amanda Ruiz (Community Roots Collective)
By Grace Behnke and Tanja Vidovic, WMNF Tampa Bay
As more expectant parents seek a more personalized, intimate birthing experience, home births and other non-hospital options are becoming an increasingly popular choice.

Op-ed: Tampa educator says sex discussions in college should challenge assumptions, stigma, and misinformation
By Arushi Panwar, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Sex and sexuality are a tapestry that envelopes us all. While each individual is a separate thread with different perspectives, we are all heavily influenced by the folds in the fabric.

National

Some states on track to restore abortion access, while others push for fetal rights in 2025
By Sofia Resnick and Kelcie Moseley-Morris, States Newsroom
Heading into the third year since Roe v. Wade was overturned, states will continue to introduce and consider legislation to expand or restrict access to reproductive health care and abortion as legislative sessions begin. In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, states with broad reproductive rights protections have introduced bills to shield patients and doctors if the incoming Republican administration overturns protections implemented under President Joe Biden.

Trump Says He Won’t Sign a Federal Abortion Ban. His Administration Has Ways to Restrict Abortion Anyway.
By Oriana González, NOTUS
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would not sign a federal abortion ban, stating he prefers to leave the issue up to the states.

Abortion bans seem to be driving young people to move out of state
By Shefali Luthra, The 19^th
Tens of thousands of young people — single people, in particular — have left states with near-total abortion bans.

More bounty laws offering cash for reporting trans people, abortions, and librarians expected in 2025
By Sarah Prager, Prism
State and city legislators across the U.S. are passing laws that offer private citizens the option to sue for cash if they catch a trans person using a bathroom aligned with their gender identity, someone providing or receiving an abortion, or a librarian offering inclusive books.

Abortions are up in the US. The data paints a complicated picture
By Geoff Mulvihill and Kevin S. Vineys, Associated Press
Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet.

Biden administration scraps rules to expand birth control access
By Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico
The Biden administration is withdrawing a proposed set of regulations that aimed to improve access to contraception by narrowing the ability of employers to opt out of covering birth control for their employees.

Jimmy Carter was a champion for women’s rights
By Mariel Padilla and Mel Leonor Barclay, The 19^th
Many Americans have flocked to the U.S. Capitol this week to pay their respects to former President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100.

Letters to the editor

Floridians like marijuana and reproductive rights. Will our leaders listen to us?
By G. Spencer Myers, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Post
If the Florida Legislature was paying attention to the recent election, it should be aware that it has been given a mandate to do two things. First, return the right of women to control their reproductive decisions granted in Roe v. Wade, and second, legalize the right to use marijuana as we see fit. Each of these referenda were approved by 57% of the voters. If the legislature believes in democracy, it will realize that the people have spoken. They do not want the government making decisions about what we can do with our own bodies.