Related video above: 2024 Election - Abortion rights are taking center stage
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group behind a citizen initiative to put abortion rights on the ballot in 2024, believes it will surpass the required signature threshold this month.
The proposed amendment, titled Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, would enshrine abortion access in the Florida Constitution if passed.
According to Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group will have submitted 1.4 million signatures to Supervisor of Elections offices across the state by the end of the month.
“Floridians have shown that they want to see this initiative on the ballot,” Campaign Director Lauren Brenzel said in a statement. “We’re doing a final push and asking everyone who has not yet signed and submitted their petition to get them into the campaign by December 22nd. The state has until February 1st, 2024 to validate petitions and we’re confident we’re going to submit enough petitions to get on the ballot.”
As of this report, the initiative has 753,771 valid signatures and is closing in on the 891,523 required to qualify for the 2024 ballot. However, it has some major hurdles to clear before voters get to weigh in.
The abortion initiative - along with a recreational marijuana initiative with over one million valid signatures - is making its way through the Florida Supreme Court as part of the required judicial review process. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is arguing against both measures, claiming their ballot summaries are misleading to voters, which violates one of the criteria justices use in their review.
Floridians Protecting Freedom filed a request for oral arguments in the abortion initiative case on Nov. 29.
In a separate case, the Florida Supreme Court is mulling over Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, which went into effect in July 2022. A more restrictive six-week ban is tied up in the courts as justices decide the fate of the 15-week limit. If their ruling allows the 15-week law to remain in place, the 6-week ban will immediately go into effect.
Abortion rights advocates worry the overwhelmingly conservative makeup of the Florida Supreme Court, with five of the seven justices appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, means the citizen initiative is effectively dead in the water. The justices also have strong ties to the pro-life movement and legislative advocacy.