Florida
Florida Supreme Court justices skeptical of challenge to ballot initiative protecting abortion
By Arek Sarkissian and Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico
Florida’s Supreme Court justices on Wednesday were critical of state officials’ challenge to a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion protections in the state Constitution.
Florida Justices Roast State Argument Against Abortion Amendment
By Alex Ebert, Bloomberg Law
Related: Florida Justices Hold Election Sway With Abortion, Pot Rulings
A lopsided oral argument Wednesday saw conservatives on the Florida Supreme Court openly disagreeing with the state Attorney General’s opposition to an abortion amendment that could rewrite pregnancy termination rules in the state.
As FL Supreme Court considers abortion amendment, Legislature might not be done on that score
By Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix
Related: Outside the FL Supreme Court, abortion rights advocates, opponents rallied for their cause
As the Florida Supreme Court hears oral arguments Wednesday over whether to allow an abortion-rights state constitutional amendment to go before the voters in November, another potential threat to access to the procedure is progressing through the Legislature.
Florida Court Weighs Ballot Measure to Allow Abortion ‘Before Viability’
By Patricia Mazzei, New York Times
The Florida Supreme Court seemed reluctant on Wednesday to block a proposed measure protecting abortion rights from appearing on the November ballot, even though several members of the conservative-leaning court questioned whether the measure’s language made clear its potentially sweeping effects.
Florida Supreme Court to consider abortion rights ballot wording
By Jerry Askin, WKMG Orlando
The future of abortion rights on the November ballot is about to be in the hands of the state’s highest court.
Who gets abortions in Florida? New data present a clearer picture
By Cindy Krischer Goodman, South Florida Sun Sentinel
On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against letting state voters decide whether they want access to abortion rather than having lawmakers impose restrictions.
Florida Supreme Court justices urged to decide abortion consent issue
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
An appeals court Thursday asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up a potentially far-reaching issue about minors who seek to have abortions without notifying and getting consent from parents or guardians.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell camp lays out Rick Scott’s plan to outlaw abortion nationwide
By Jacob Ogles, Florida Politics
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has a habit of publishing multi-point plans. But now it’s a Democratic opponent publishing a detailed write-up of the Naples Republican’s abortion positions.
Whitney Fox provides update on ‘absurd’ Florida abortion ban, touts reproductive freedom amendment
By Janelle Irwin Taylor, Florida Politics
Whitney Fox, a Democrat running for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in hopes of unseating incumbent Republican Anna Paulina Luna, is fired up about reproductive freedom, and she’s warning voters that if it can be taken away, what’s next?
Bills dead or dying as House ends most subcommittee meetings
By Gray Rohrer, Florida Politics
It’s almost halfway through the Regular Session, but a series of notable bills are either dead or on life support…HB 1519: This bill from Rep. David Borrero, a Sweetwater Republican, would have banned nearly all abortions in Florida. It removed exceptions for abortions for pregnancies that were the result of rape or incest, allowing the procedure only to save the life of the mother. Performing an abortion would have been a third-degree felony punishable with 10 years in jail and/or a $100,000 fine. There was no Senate companion measure and it never received a hearing.
A guaranteed right to contraception bill is a long-shot in Florida
By Richard Brown, WFSU Tallahassee
Two Florida Democrats are launching a long-shot effort to convince the Republican-led legislature to put into state law a guaranteed right to access contraception.
Ashley Moody’s flawed stand against abortion rights
Editorial, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Attorney General Ashley Moody will stand before the state Supreme Court Wednesday to argue that Floridians can’t be trusted to understand a ballot initiative that would protect abortion rights — and because of that, they should be stripped of the right to demand them.
Florida voters should have the right to speak on abortion
Editorial, Orlando Sentinel
Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether an amendment that would secure reproductive freedom in the Sunshine State should make it onto the November ballot.
National
Abortion rights groups don’t want to “restore Roe” — but they won’t fight Biden on it
By Rachel M. Cohen, Vox
When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris held their first joint campaign event of 2024 last month in northern Virginia, they left no doubt that codifying abortion rights would be central to the president’s reelection bid.
Study cited by Texas judge in abortion pill case retracted
By Sofia Resnick, States Newsroom
Two of the key studies cited by plaintiffs and judges as evidence that medication abortion should be pulled from the market or heavily restricted have been retracted because of undeclared conflicts of interest and unreliable findings, academic publisher Sage announced Monday.
The Guttmacher Institute, Its Experts and Partners Call on the US Supreme Court to Follow the Science and Protect Medication Abortion Access
Staff Report, Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmacher Institute and several of its senior social scientists have joined two powerful amicus briefs that were submitted to the US Supreme Court on January 30, calling on the Court to reverse the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ dangerous decision to limit access to medication abortion and uphold the FDA’s long-standing approval of mifepristone without imposing medically unnecessary restrictions.
Abortion rights movement needs more Latina voices, advocates say
By Astrid Galván
Axios
Abortion advocates say Latinas and other women of color are disproportionately affected by bans and restrictions, but when it comes to lawsuits and news coverage, their stories are less likely to get attention.