Florida
Abortion rights advocates vow to keep fighting after Amendment 4 defeat
By Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics
After months of a heated campaign about the future of abortion rights in Florida post-Roe v. Wade, voters defeated the Amendment 4 abortion rights constitutional amendment in Tuesday’s election, as it fell short of the 60% threshold to pass.
Related: Organizers for Florida’s abortion measure say their work isn’t over
The Florida Abortion Measure’s Failure Is an Infuriating Allegory for Women
By Stephanie McNeal, Glamour
On Election Night, Floridians voted by a majority to overturn its six-week ban on abortion and restore reproductive rights. But it didn’t matter.
Related: Florida’s abortion vote and why some women feel seen: ‘Even when we win, we lose’
Florida’s abortion rights amendment had widespread support in Tampa Bay counties, but failed in rural areas
Staff Report, News Service of Florida
While it had widespread support in urban areas, a ballot proposal that would have enshrined abortion rights in the state Constitution ran into opposition Tuesday in rural and Northwest Florida counties, according to data posted on the state Division of Elections website.
Related: Orange County voters overwhelmingly approved Florida’s abortion rights measure, despite failure to pass statewide
Florida lawmakers unlikely to change abortion, marijuana laws despite voter support
By Romy Ellenbogen and Ana Ceballos, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
As Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigned against Florida’s abortion and marijuana amendments, a key argument he made was that state law, not the Constitution, is where changes should be made.
Related: DeSantis kills popular proposals on abortion and marijuana, declares victory
Abortion funds carry on despite Amendment 4 loss
By Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
Emergency Medical Assistance, a West Palm Beach abortion fund founded in 1975, is on track to spend $550,000 helping people access abortion by the end of the year.
Related: Florida abortion funds see spike in donations after election, but say need will grow
Tampa Bay abortion fund saw calls for help triple after Florida’s six-week ban
By Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times
Some women are referred from health clinics and gynecologist offices. Others reach out directly, desperate for help.
Millions in Florida taxpayer cash fuel DeSantis’ ad war on pot, abortion amendments
By John Kennedy, Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Ron DeSantis is spending the election homestretch focused almost solely on two of the costliest ballot campaigns in the nation, throwing millions of dollars in taxpayer money and a flurry of questionable claims against legalizing marijuana and restoring abortion rights in Florida.
Advocates against recreational pot, abortion rights initiatives rely on falsehoods and fantasy
By Joe Henderson, Florida Politics
Every election cycle brings a certain amount of hysteria from one side or the other, generally around the theme that IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME.
Six months in, Florida’s six-week abortion ban forces more patients out of state
By Kathryn Varn, Axios
Six months into Florida’s six-week abortion ban, accessing the procedure is more expensive and more difficult, per new data from the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund.
In Florida, Election Day Marks 6 Months Under State’s Abortion Ban
By Kylie Cheung, Jezebel
It’s been six months since the Florida Supreme Court allowed the state’s six-week abortion ban to take effect.
Voters retain two Florida justices who tried to keep abortion, marijuana off ballot
By Grethel Aguila and Jay Weaver, Miami Herald
The two Florida Supreme Court justices who were against putting the abortion and marijuana amendments on the November ballot were retained by two-thirds of the state’s voters.
Florida women, it’s time to get our IUDs
By Stephanie Hayes, Tampa Bay Times
The first thing I did Wednesday was think, well, punk music is poised to have a big comeback. Shortly thereafter, I started Googling IUDs.
Amendment 4 defeat should prompt changes to Florida’s abortion ban
Editorial, Palm Beach Post
Kudos to Gov. Ron DeSantis. He managed a political win this week after waging a brutal — and at times dishonest — campaign against a citizen-backed ballot initiative that would bar government from restricting access to abortion up to when a fetus could survive outside of the womb.
How our tax dollars became DeSantis’ fund against abortion and marijuana amendments
Editorial, Miami Herald
The drive to defeat Florida’s proposed constitutional amendments to legalize recreational marijuana and to protect abortion rights has received a huge infusion of cash — courtesy of taxpayers, whether they like it or not.
National
Most states that considered abortion rights amendments approved them
By Elissa Nadworny and Ryland Barton, NPR
Ten states considered adding language guaranteeing abortion rights in their state constitutions during this year’s elections. Voters in seven of the states approved the ballot questions. Three rejected them.
The Next Trump Administration’s Crackdown on Abortion Will Be Swift, Brutal, and Nationwide
By Mark Joseph Stern, Slate
On Tuesday, many Americans simultaneously voted to protect abortion rights and elect Donald Trump president.
10 Reasons a Second Trump Presidency Will Decimate Sexual and Reproductive Health
By Anna Bernstein, Amy Friedrich-Karnik and Samira Damavandi, Guttmacher Institute
When President-Elect Donald Trump takes office again, in January, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) will face unprecedented threats from the federal level.
Can Direct Democracy Save Abortion Rights?
By Jessica Winter, The New Yorker
In the first Presidential race since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the American electorate appeared to stake out two seemingly irreconcilable positions.