Planned Parenthood Launches Effort To Put Abortion On FL Ballot

FLORIDA — Planned Parenthood is launching a multimillion-dollar initiative to put abortion on the Florida ballot just weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law one of the nation's most restrictive bans on the procedure, according to a Politico report.

The initiative, which Planned Parenthood officials confirmed to Politico ahead of an announcement next week, seeks to allow abortions in Florida until 24 weeks of pregnancy. The law signed by DeSantis bans the procedure after six weeks.

To do this, Planned Parenthood and partner organizations plan to spend millions of dollars gathering roughly 890,000 valid signatures by Feb. 1. If enough signatures are collected, the measure will be placed on the 2024 ballot, allowing Floridians to vote on a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access in the state.

"Floridians know what is best for their own bodies and their own lives," Sarah Standiford, national campaigns director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund, told Politico. "People are ready to vote for reproductive freedom and to take back power from lawmakers who have literally gone against the will of the people."

While abortion has long been a contentious issue in the United States, 61 percent of adults in the United States believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the Pew Research Center. While 80 percent of Democrats believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, 40 percent of Republicans say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

From the death penalty to gender identity to abortion, DeSantis has cemented himself as a conservative standard bearer as he prepares to launch a presidential campaign sometime after the legislative session ends this week.

Meanwhile, Republicans, who control a supermajority in the statehouse, have primarily focused on DeSantis' conservative priorities during the current legislative session, approving bills likely forming much of the governor's platform.

Earlier this month, DeSantis signed into law a measure banning abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy. The legislation's passage solidified Florida's place among a handful of states with the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation and gave the governor a critical political victory among Republican primary voters.

"We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida," DeSantis said in a statement following the signing. "I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families."

Currently, Florida law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. Florida's six-week ban will only take effect if the state's current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge before the state's conservative-controlled Supreme Court.

The new law allows exceptions until 15 weeks of pregnancy to save a woman's life or if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest. In those cases, a woman must provide documentation such as a medical record, restraining order, or police report.

Democrats and abortion-rights groups have criticized the new law as extreme because many do not realize they are pregnant until after six weeks.

"In the course of just two generations, we've seen our rights won & lost," Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book said in a statement on social media. "It is now up to us to get them back. Because no one is going to save us but ourselves."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.