Miami, United States: Florida’s Supreme Court agreed Monday to allow an abortion rights amendment to go on the state’s ballot in November, in the latest legal battle over an issue Democrats have championed in an election year.
The southern state’s highest court has allowed an abortion rights amendment to appear on the ballot, while also confirming that a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy will soon go into effect.
Florida currently allows abortions up to 15 weeks pregnancy, but the Republican-backed law would cut abortions to 6 weeks, before many women even know they’re pregnant.
The conservative-dominated state Supreme Court was reviewing both the legality of abortion restrictions and an amendment to Florida’s constitution that would have enshrined women’s right to an abortion.
The Fourth Amendment reads in part: “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 health care provider.”
It is generally believed that the fetus survives outside the womb for about 24 weeks.
To pass the amendment, at least 60 percent of Florida voters must approve the amendment, which is sponsored by the “Floridians Protective Freedom” campaign.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican, asked the seven-member state Supreme Court, including five appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, to block the amendment from appearing on the ballot.
The Democratic Party has put reproductive rights at the center of its campaign ahead of the November general election, which is expected to be a rematch between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican President Donald Trump.
