From Heartbeat Bills to State Amendments, Florida Supreme Court Decisions Put Abortion on the Ballot

The Sunshine State could soon have some of the most liberal abortion laws in the country and the world, or be allowed to keep its pro-life ones. On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court sided with a pro-abortion group known as Floridians Protecting Freedom when it ruled that a ballot initiative prohibiting legislators from passing limits or restrictions can move forward. Attorney General Ashley Moody had objected to the language being too broad, The Washington Post explained. Thus, the decision, "will put abortion on the November 2024 ballot," a press release from Students for Life put it on Monday.

"The weaponization of ballot initiatives across this country to get out the vote for a failing Biden campaign while pushing abortion extremism has unfortunately gotten a leg-up in Florida today," said Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins. "Despite the Florida Supreme Court ruling, the Pro-Life Generation will be on the ground educating voters and raising awareness around the reality of Biden’s push for unlimited abortion paid for by taxpayers."

It's telling that the decision was not a unanimous one, but rather a split 4-3 decision. "We agree with the three women on the Court who got it right in dissent. This amendment is misleading and will confuse voters. The language hides the amendment's true purpose of mandating that abortions be permitted up to the time of birth," Julia Friedland, Deputy Press Secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), shareed in a statement for Townhall.

Such a statement as well as objections from Moody highlight how pro-abortion Democrats, the abortion movement, and allies in the mainstream media cause further confusion. Last November, the otherwise reliably red state of Ohio passed a pro-abortion ballot initiative, with pro-life Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) highlighting the confusion even fellow pro-lifers experienced. Ohio follows a pattern of the success of such pro-abortion initiatives, while pro-life ones meanwhile have failed.

For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it.

Giving up on the unborn is not an option. It's politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war.

I was very involved in the "no" campaign for…
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) November 8, 2023

"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," the proposed language reads. It's particularly telling that "the patient's health" is not defined. The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Doe v. Bolton, which was the companion case of Roe v. Wade, purposefully left "health" vague.

Unlike where the pro-abortion ballot initiative passed in Ohio, a 60 percent supermajority is needed to pass Florida's initiative.

Making the matter even more involving is how the court also ruled in favor of a 15-week abortion limit in a 6-1 decision. This allows the heartbeat bill that DeSantis signed into law in April of last year to go into effect, as the Tallahassee Democrat explained. While the news sent The Washington Post into a major panic, that report acknowledged that the ballot initiative "could potentially undo the new strict abortion ban in a matter of months."

In addition to highlighting her own group's efforts, Hawkins also had a warning about pro-abortion Democrats. "We disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision, but the fight goes on as a marathon, not a sprint," Hawkins said. "This election year, the Democrats will continue to use abortion as a Get-Out-The-Vote tactic to run from their terrible record on the border, economy, and foreign policy. The Pro-Life Generation will stand for Life to ensure that a pro-life President wins the White House in November."

Democrats at the state and federal alike have been particularly focused on the abortion. Although President Joe Biden's and Vice President Kamala's X accounts have yet to chime in, both of them did post about abortion earlier on Monday.

Donald Trump openly says he’s proud that he overturned Roe v. Wade, proud that doctors and nurses can now be jailed for providing care, proud that young women today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers.

President @JoeBiden and I will not back down from…
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 1, 2024