by the Gainesville Radical Reproductive Rights Network & Planned Parenthood Generation Action – Santa Fe College Chapter
In response to the Dobbs decision, released in 2022, Floridians Protecting Freedom headlined a petition campaign to gather signatures from Floridians, to place an amendment on the November 2024 general election ballot to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.
By the January 2024 state deadline, the campaign submitted over 1.4 million petitions to supervisors of elections across the state, surpassing the required 891,523 validated petitions. On April 1st, the Supreme Court of Florida decided that Amendment 4 will be on the November general election ballot. Amendment 4 reads as follows:
“No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
Simply put, the government should not interfere with anyone’s right to access health care. Abortion is health care. Those who believe in an individual’s right to choose should vote Yes on 4 in the November general election. There is still much work to do to ensure that Amendment 4 meets the 60 percent threshold in the election. Please get involved with local Gainesville organizations working on the campaign!
The proposed amendment is a comprehensive measure designed to uphold reproductive rights, ensure women’s, children’s, and all people’s health and safety, and minimize government intrusion into personal medical decisions.
By affirming the right to access abortion services before viability and when necessary for health, the amendment would create a legal environment that respects and protects women’s autonomy and well-being.
Public opinion in Florida regarding abortion is divided but shows significant support for reproductive rights. A recent poll finds that the majority of Floridians support maintaining access to abortion and the government is failing to uphold the demands of their constituents. Specifically, around 65 percent of both Black and White respondents support an amendment that would protect abortion rights before viability.
Support among Hispanic respondents is slightly lower at 52 percent. Younger voters, especially those aged 18 to 24, show strong support, with over three-quarters favoring the initiative. Women are more supportive than men, with 68 percent of female voters backing the amendment compared to 55 percent of male voters (FL Politics) (Pew Research Center).
While Floridians will have the chance to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution in November, it must be noted that, on the same day that the Florida Supreme court approved the language of Amendment 4, they also upheld the 15-week abortion ban, triggering a 6-week ban, effective May 1, 2024, barring access to essential healthcare for tens of thousands of Floridians.
Florida law requires patients seeking an abortion to wait at least 24 hours after receiving in-person counseling before the procedure can be performed. This law effectively requires two separate trips to a clinic, posing logistical and financial challenges for many patients. Florida law had banned abortions after 15 weeks of gestation, allowing exceptions only in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, the fetus has a fatal abnormality, or there is a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
Given that many patients don’t even realize they are pregnant by this time, the recently imposed 6-week ban represents a near-total ban on abortion.
In response to the ban, there have been teach-ins locally, aiming to train individuals on self-managed abortions by destigmatizing common misconceptions and providing important healthcare information to community members.
The Civic Media Center has been instrumental in providing resources and space for activists in the Gainesville area. Additionally, Florida Access Network is committed to providing resources for “reproductive kits” to be distributed locally. These kits contain essentials for reproductive health and self-managed abortions.
Gainesville’s abortions clinics, Bread and Roses and All Women’s Health Center of Gainesville, are working tirelessly to provide essential healthcare under the recently-imposed ban.
At the statewide level, the Yes on 4 campaign is organizing local “Super Saturday” events to train activists on campaigning and communicating with undecided voters. Each major city across Florida has hosted a training one Saturday each month, focusing on campaign initiatives.
April’s Super Saturday focused on best practices in communication about the ballot language, while May’s event centered on text-banking and introduced participants to the Reach app.
The next Super Saturday event will take place on June 22 at 10am at The How Bazar in downtown Gainesville. Additionally, starting in June, local businesses will serve as “hubs,” where individuals can fill out commit to vote cards for the Yes on 4 campaign.
For those wanting to get involved, there is a local coalition of activists from different Gainesville organizations, such as National Women’s Liberation – Gainesville Chapter, the Gainesville Radical Reproductive Rights Network, League of Women Voters of Alachua County, the Santa Fe College and University of Florida chapters of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, and University of Florida chapter of League of Women Voters.
The coalition currently meets alternating Mondays at 6:30pm at Curia on the Drag. The coalition’s current goal is to organize canvassing at local events to engage in discussions with Alachua County voters. The coalition also works to coordinate with the Yes on 4 campaign in a local capacity.
Learn more about Amendment 4 from Floridians Protecting Freedom here: https://www.floridiansprotectingfreedom.com
View upcoming events in Florida and register for your local or online Super Saturday event here: https://www.mobilize.us/yes4florida/
To stay up-to-date or get involved, follow the GRRR! Network at https://www.instagram.com/thegrrrnetwork, National Women’s Liberation-Gainesville Chapter at https://www.instagram.com/nwlgainesville, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action @ Santa Fe College at https://www.instagram.com/santafeppgenact