ORLANDO, Fla. — People on both sides of the abortion debate are petitioning for signatures as they work to get constitutional amendments passed. The Florida Supreme Court is considering legal challenges to a 15-week abortion ban and a 6-week abortion ban passed by state lawmakers. If the amendments get on the ballot in 2024, voters could decide the issue.
Republicans in Central Florida say they wanted to make their stance on the issue known after reports surfaced about thousands of registered Republicans signing petitions for a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would legalize abortion.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022, leaving it up to individual states to decide the issue. Floridians Protecting Freedom is now trying to gather enough signed petitions across the state to get the constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot for voters to decide. They must get 8% of registered voters in enough congressional districts to get the initiative considered to be on the ballot. And the group says 150,000 registered Republicans in Florida have joined Democrats in signing the measure.
“This amendment really portrays itself as about freedom, it’s not about freedom,” said Vicky Parker Cherry, Republican and Chairwoman of Sanctity of Life. “It’s about abortion. Hands down unfettered, unlimited abortion. And I would say the majority of Floridians, not just Republicans, are not for unlimited access to abortion.”
Parker Cherry and other Republicans are circulating a petition for another constitutional amendment, the Human Life Protection Amendment. That would preserve the right to life of a preborn individual at any stage of development. Parker Cherry says the petition only has about 30,000 signatures so far and may not get enough signatures to get on the ballot. But she says voters need to be clear about what they are signing a petition for, and ultimately potentially voting on.
Floridians Protecting Freedom says they have more than a million signatures for their petition, and are on track, even if some signatures not verified, to get the nearly 900,000 signatures needed statewide.
Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani, who represents Florida’s 42nd District, previously worked for Planned Parenthood, which is supporting the constitutional amendment aimed at legalizing abortion across the state.
“Regardless of whether you decide to become a parent and raise a child, or choose adoption, or end that pregnancy, I do believe firmly that decision should be made between a woman, their family, their doctor and faith and not politicians,” said Eskamani. “And that’s why we’ve seen such incredible bi-partisan support for this ballot initiative because it really transcends party lines.”
But even if the amendment gets enough signatures, those signatures must be verified and the Florida Supreme Court must approve the language of the amendment before it can be placed on the ballot in the 2024 election.