The Quickie: Florida Abortion Advocates Prepare For Pivotal Supreme Court Arguments

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: Florida advocates prepare to begin arguments for abortion ban challenge, and a VA state legislature candidate admits support for a total abortion ban.

FLORIDA ABORTION ADVOCATES PREPARE FOR PIVOTAL SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS: On Friday, the Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in abortion providers’ challenge to the state’s abortion ban. The case hinges on a key part of the Florida Constitution: Article II, Section 23, the state’s privacy clause. Decades of precedent show that this clause, added by voters in 1980, protects access to abortion. But the court could undermine the state constitution and uphold the ban. If it does, Florida’s newest ban will take effect 30 days later — cutting off access after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. The effect on the region will be devastating: right now, Florida is the only state south of Virginia where abortion is legal through 15 weeks of pregnancy. Only Virginia would remain an access point for people seeking abortion in the South.  

Press Call – Shortly after the oral arguments, abortion providers, advocates, and attorneys will hold a virtual press conference to answer questions (expected around 12:30pm ET). Register here for information & a recording. 

Already, advocates across Florida are preparing for the court’s decision. The campaign to amend Florida’s constitution with stronger protections for abortion access, Floridians Protecting Freedom, is more than halfway to its signature collection goal. This moment is especially salient for Florida’s young people, who are organizing for the campaign on their college campuses. Alexa Matos, a Planned Parenthood Generation Action organizer at University of Southern Florida St. Petersburg, spoke to the Florida Phoenix about why this campaign is so important to her and her peers: 

“My mother, she was all by herself — it was just us two girls — and she really pushed me to make sure that the women before us have come so far to fight for our place in this world, so we’re not going to have that taken away,” Matos said. “So, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I knew that this was going to be the beginning of something much bigger.”

“A lot of the time young people nowadays are super politically motivated, right? So, it’s like I have someone who has time, and I have someone who’s motivated and they’re mad, right? It’s the perfect combination,” she said. “Also, it’s just like the next generation of people, the next generation of voters, next generation of leaders, next people making decisions about health care. It’s important to tap into them that way, as well.”

Read more about Florida’s privacy clause and the young people campaigning for it at the Florida Phoenix. 
 

AND ANOTHER ONE: VIRGINA GOP CANDIDATE CAUGHT BRAGGING ON TAPE ABOUT HIS ANTI-ABORTION STANCE: Yesterday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that yet another Republican state legislature candidate in Virginia was caught on tape confirming that he’s “100%” anti-abortion. David Owens is running in a competitive race to represent the 57th district against nurse practitioner Susanna Gibson. Last month, the Washington Post broke the news of VA GOP House of Delegate candidate John Stirrup telling a voter that he “would support a 100 percent ban.” Stirrup is also in a swing race, competing to represent part of the northern Virginia area. 

Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin has touted his support for a 15-week ban but currently does not have the votes in the state legislature to pass that bill. The elections this November will determine the fate of abortion rights in Virginia.