The Quickie: Abortion Ballot Initiative Campaign Launched in Florida

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: FL abortion ballot initiative, NC abortion ban sent to Gov, FL gender-affirming care ban sent to DeSantis, our weekly state fights recap, and MT court blocks new abortion restrictions. 

ABORTION BALLOT INITIATIVE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN FLORIDA: Today, a coalition of reproductive rights and justice and grassroots democracy organizations launched a campaign to amend Florida’s constitution to protect access to abortion. Floridians Protecting Freedom has filed for a ballot initiative that will limit government interference in abortion — ensuring that Floridians’ personal medical decisions are theirs and theirs alone. For years, Florida’s anti-abortion politicians have attacked reproductive rights on all fronts despite a supermajority of Floridians saying that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Now, voters have the opportunity to take power back. 

Members of the coalition — which includes Florida Rising, Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida, ACLU of Florida, Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund — spoke with POLITICO about the initiative ahead of the campaign’s official launch on Monday: 

“We know that Floridians overwhelmingly support safe, legal and accessible abortion care. They don’t believe that politicians or lawmakers should make decisions — especially personal decisions — about their health care or their body,” said Moné Holder of the activist organization Florida Rising.

On Monday, May 8, Floridians Protecting Freedom will hold a press conference kicking off the petition drive for the ballot initiative in Tallahassee. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube at 10 AM ET. Speakers include patient advocate Deborah Dorbert; Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida physician Dr. Shelly Tien; Florida Rising senior director of advocacy and programs Moné Holder; Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida president Sarah Parker; Rev. Dr. Joe Parramore of New Journey Ministries in Quincy; and Kara Gross, Legislative Director and Senior Policy Counsel of the ACLU of Florida. 

Read more about the campaign at POLITICO. 

NORTH CAROLINA SENATE SENDS ABORTION BAN TO GOVERNOR’S DESK: Just two days after announcing their plan to ram through a 12-week abortion ban, anti-abortion politicians have sent their omnibus abortion ban bill to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Abortion is currently legal in North Carolina up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, but SB 20 would decimate access to care for both North Carolinians and out-of-state patients who travel to the state from all over the South for care. The bill also imposes a number of other restrictions on abortion care (outlined in yesterday’s Quickie), that aim at making abortion care as difficult and as inaccessible as possible. 

“Extreme anti-abortion politicians have passed a sweeping, monster abortion ban in 48 hours without any regard to the democratic process or our fundamental human rights, and we are outraged,” said Jenny Black, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. “This fight is just getting started, and the people of North Carolina need to rise up: we must not allow politicians in Raleigh to take away our right to control what happens to our bodies, our families, and our futures. We must make sure Governor Cooper’s veto stands and prevent this dangerous ban from ever seeing the light of day.”

While Gov. Cooper has indicated he will veto the bill, there is a possibility the legislature could override his veto. That’s why Planned Parenthood and our partners on the ground will do everything we can over the upcoming days to ensure the Governor’s veto stands. 

Read more at CBS. PPFA release.

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS SEND BAN ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE TO GOV. DESANTIS: Yesterday, the Florida Senate and House passed S.B. 254, which bans medically-necessary forms of gender-affirming care for minors and imposes severe restrictions for adults. 

Lawmakers across the country are waging a relentless attack on transgender and gender nonconforming people. So far in 2023, state lawmakers have introduced more than 100 bills to stop people from having access to the gender-affirming care they need, with nearly all focused on banning care for minors. Of these legislative bans, the one passed today in Florida stands alone in including extreme limitations on adults receiving care, as well. 

“Banning gender-affirming care takes away the freedom of transgender and gender nonconforming people to live the lives they deserve,” Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said. “We know that it is time-tested, and we know that it is lifesaving. Yet politicians continue to disregard the real needs of their constituents and instead codify hatred. This is about controlling trans people’s bodies and lives. With this ban, Florida lawmakers are continuing their race to the bottom for LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality. The fight for reproductive freedom includes fighting for transgender and nonbinary people’s freedom to exist without fear.”

Read more at Axios. PPAF release.

STATE FIGHTS ROUND UP: As several states move to enact proactive policies expanding abortion rights protections, North Carolina lawmakers passed a sweeping abortion ban in less than 48 hours. 

Proactive efforts:

• This week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a number of bills protecting abortion and trans rights into law, including: 
  • a shield law aiming to protect patients and providers from any penalties relating to abortion bans in other states; 
  • data privacy bill to protect reproductive health information; 
  • a bill ensuring access to birth control, abortion pills, and emergency contraceptives in or near public college and university campuses in the state; and 
  • the Trans Health Equity Act, which requires coverage of gender-affirming are in the state’s Medicaid program.
• On Monday, the Oregon House of Representatives passed HB 2002, the Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill. Among other provisions, HB 2002 protects providers’ ability to provide reproductive and gender-affirming care in the state; expands access to these critical services for rural Oregonians, Oregonians with lower-incomes, students, and more; and prohibits the criminalization of seeking reproductive health care.
• The Maine Legislature held public hearings on a proposal to expand access to abortion later in pregnancy. In addition to repealing criminal penalties for abortion, the measure would permit abortion after viability if deemed necessary by a physician, giving patients the freedom to access essential care throughout pregnancy. 
• California lawmakers passed several pro-sexual and reproductive health care bills out of their respective policy committees. The measures include AB 352, which enhances privacy protections for medical records related to abortion care and more, and AB 583, legislation to establish the Birthing Justice Pilot Project, a program seeking to address adverse maternal and infant health outcomes by expanding doula care.
• On Tuesday, New York Gov. Hochul signed into law a bill to expand access to medication abortion on state college and university campuses and expand access to over-the-counter contraceptives for New Yorkers.

Defensive efforts:

• The North Carolina Legislature has approved SB 20, a sweeping bill that will ban abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy in most circumstances and impose an array of other restrictions that will severely limit abortion access. Governor Cooper has already stated he plans to veto the bill. 
• The South Carolina House announced plans to vote on a six-week abortion ban that has already passed the Senate, likely early next week. This comes one week after a House-approved total abortion ban was rejected in the Senate.
• The Florida Senate and House passed S.B. 254, a measure that bans medically-necessary forms of gender-affirming care for minors and imposes severe restrictions for adults. The measure is expected to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who named it as a priority this session. 
• Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed SB 613, a gender-affirming care ban for minors this week.
• The Missouri Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard several sexual and reproductive health care-related bills this week, including SB 356 the "Abolition of Abortion Act”  and SB 594 which prohibits state contracts for employers that provide assistance to employees seeking an abortion.
• The Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee approved H.B. 463, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, this week. 

MONTANA COURT BLOCKS NEW ABORTION LAW: Yesterday evening, a Montana District Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking HB 575, a newly enacted law that requires all patients to undergo an ultrasound before getting an abortion in the state. The TRO will remain in effect as the court considers the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction; a hearing on the request is scheduled for May 12. 

“As Montana courts have reaffirmed time and time again, the rights to privacy and access to abortion are clearly protected under our state constitution,” Martha Fuller, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana (PPMT), said in a statement. We are pleased that the court took action to block this dangerous law today and hope its ruling will send a message to anti-abortion lawmakers who continue trampling on our rights.”

Read more at the Daily Montanan. PPFA release.