Pro-life, pro-choice? Florida voters to get a say on abortion access. Here are the opposing viewpoints:

Florida to enforce 6-week ban in May; Floridians to vote on Amendment 4 in November

(FILE AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Abortion is legal for some women in Florida, but restrictions do force some to seek out-of-state procedures.

Since the spring of 2022, abortions up to 15 weeks into pregnancy have been legal. That same year, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade — overturning the 1973 constitutional right to an abortion.

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A recent Florida Supreme Court ruling set a six-week abortion ban to start on May 1.

That could change again after voters decide the future of a proposed state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Florida voters will get to support or oppose Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative. The support of at least 60% of Florida voters is required for the amendment to be added in January.

Laura Goodhue, who supports the amendment, and Katie Glenn Daniel, who opposes it, were in This Week in South Florida on Sunday.

Glenn Daniel is the state policy director of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Goodhue is the executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

Watch the interviews

PRO-LIFE STANCE

Glenn Daniel said the Heartbeat Protection Act has exceptions for rape, incest, “fatal fetal abnormalities” and medical emergencies to support women.

Glenn Daniel blames “the abortion industry” for alleged misinformation on the law, which also takes into account the “human trafficking component.”

PRO-CHOICE STANCE

Goodhue said patients are confused and scared. She said six weeks isn’t enough time for some women to realize they are pregnant and the state’s required 24-hour waiting period isn’t medically necessary.

“It’s more than just our reproductive healthcare,” Goodhue said. “It’s really about our choices, our options, and government interference.”

TWISF EPISODE


About the Authors

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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