Florida
Florida urges rejection of abortion ‘financial impact statement’ ruling
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
A state panel will meet in July to consider revising a “financial impact statement” that has touched off a legal fight as Floridians prepare to vote this fall on a proposed constitutional amendment about abortion rights.
Floridians head north for abortions now that six-week ban in effect
By Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat
For three years, Mary has been supporting women who decide to end their pregnancies.
Giant IUD visits Miami as contraception advocates begin Florida tour
By Sommer Brugal, Axios
The giant IUD that turned heads two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., started its Florida tour on Tuesday at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse.
‘IUD Express’ tour stops in Orlando amid calls to protect contraception access
By Caroline Catherman, Orlando Sentinel
Lawmakers and local reproductive rights advocates gathered outside Orlando City Hall on Thursday alongside a giant inflatable IUD to advocate for legislation to protect contraceptive access.
Scoop: Giant inflatable IUD continues Florida tour in Tampa. Here’s where to see it
By Yacob Reyes, Axios
The giant, inflatable IUD that turned heads in D.C. and Miami will make its next stop at Tampa’s Lykes Gaslight Park on Friday, Americans for Contraception confirmed.
Why providers say abortion ban exceptions continue to cause confusion
By Regan McCarthy, NPR
When Dr. Rachel Humphrey went to medical school, she says she never imagined caring for her patients could land her in prison. These days, that isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Rubio introduces resolution to ‘celebrate’ anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned
By Kevin Accettulla, WFLA Tampa Bay
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a resolution on Tuesday to “celebrate” the anniversary of when the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.
Medical Experts Alarmed by Out-of-Hospital Cesareans in Florida
By Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times
A new law in Florida allowing doctors to perform cesarean sections in outpatient birthing centers has raised serious safety concerns among medical experts, who say the procedures carry a small but real risk of life-threatening complications and should not be undertaken outside hospitals.
Democrats accuse Rick Scott of hurting women with IVF, contraception votes
By Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics
Democrats are attacking U.S. Sen. Rick Scott for voting in line with other Republicans against bills protecting access to contraception and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Talking elections and reproductive healthcare with Ashley Brundage and Tampa Bay Abortion Fund
By Ray Roa, WMNF Tampa Bay
On Aug. 20, voters in Hillsborough County will participate in a primary ahead of the general election in November.
The Usual Suspects – June 16, 2024
Staff Report, WCTV Tallahassee
“The Usual Suspects,” airing in 38 counties, has become one of North Florida’s and South Georgia’s premier political talk shows. Catch Yes on 4’s Natasha Sutherland discussing the implications of Amendment 4.
National
Here’s the landscape 2 years after the Supreme Court overturned a national right to abortion
By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Judges, state lawmakers and voters are deciding the future of abortion in the U.S. two years after the Supreme Court jolted the legal status quo with a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Despite GOP headwinds, citizen-led abortion measures could be on the ballot in 9 states
By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
For abortion rights supporters in Florida, it was a tumultuous day of highs and lows.
Democratic women in U.S. Senate target Project 2025 on reproductive rights
By Lia Chien, States Newsroom
Senate Democrats held a press conference Tuesday to stand up for reproductive rights and freedoms, criticizing a plan by a conservative think tank that if adopted would hinder abortion and contraception access in a Trump administration.
Doctors speak out as U.S. Supreme Court weighs future of ER abortions
By Glorida Gomez, Florida Phoenix
With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to decide this month whether federal law protects emergency room abortions — including where the procedure is banned — doctors in states with abortion on the ballot this November urged the high court to preserve access.
Anti-abortion groups say Supreme Court’s mifepristone ruling won’t deter them
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris and Sofia Resnick, Florida Phoenix
In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling to maintain current access to the abortion medication mifepristone, abortion-rights advocates and opponents have vowed to continue their respective battles over the drug.
Black Organizers Are Finding Ways to Expand Reproductive Justice Post-“Roe”
By Margo Snipe, Truthout
Unknowns loom, and uncertainty lingers. It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, striking down the federal right to an abortion, limiting access in many states, and potentially exacerbating disparities in who’s most likely to suffer severe complications in maternal health and die.
Letters to the editor
Commissioners and abortion
By K.R. Finer, Ph.D., Naples, Naples Daily News
How ironic that the Collier County Board of County commissioners (BCC meeting, June11) are advising citizens to do their homework regarding Issue 4 (abortion amendment), yet they failed to do theirs. Several meeting participants and BCC members claimed that Amendment 4 is vague and overly broad. NO − it’s NOT.
Amendment 4 misrepresented
By Lisa Freund, Naples, Naples Daily News
On June 11, Collier County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution in opposition to Amendment 4. Yet most statements in the resolution are inaccurate…abortion care is part of necessary and compassionate health care for one in four women in the United States. Trained medical personnel — not politicians — should be making decisions of any kind for Floridians seeking abortion care.
Irony in commission vote
Anthony Rottier, Naples, Naples Daily News
As reported in the Naples Daily News, the Collier County commissioners voted unanimously for a resolution opposing Constitutional Amendment 4, on the ballot in November. Ironically, in this part of the self-styled “Freedom State,” the commissioners consider that the right of women to make very fundamental and heart-wrenching decisions about their bodies and their health should not be left to the women themselves.
Vote yes on Amendment 4
Bruce A. Beardsley, Naples, Fort Myers News-Press
Excerpt: A decision to have an abortion should be made by the pregnant woman, in consultation with her medical advisor. The government has no proper role in the matter. Indeed, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago, the news has been full of horror stories of the lives of women and girls being placed at risk due to the strict anti-abortion laws in some states. We should not let this continue. Vote yes on 4.
Vote for Amendment 4
David L. Williams, Naples, Fort Myers News-Press
The Collier County commissioners recently passed a resolution against this abortion amendment based on it being vague, deceptive and overbroad…Most moral choices are best left to the individuals involved. Vote for Amendment 4.
Vote YES on Amendment 4
By Mershon Niesner, Naples, Marco Island Coastal Breeze
Excerpt: Amendment 4 isn’t about abortion rights exclusively; it’s about protecting the fundamental rights of women to have access to the care they need, when they need it, without fear of judgment or restriction. Voting YES on Amendment 4 will help to ensure that every woman in Florida has the right to make her own healthcare decisions.