Florida - Monday January 29, 2024: Pending Supreme Court review, the Florida Division of Elections has confirmed that a sufficient amount of signed petitions have been submitted and the proposed Abortion Access Amendment to the State Constitution has officially been designated as Amendment 4 on the 2024 General Election ballot.
The Florida Supreme Court could still force it to be removed if it rules in favor of State Attorney General Ashley Moody who has ask the Court to reject the proposed amendment arguing that the word "viability" is ambiguous.
The wording is brief and to the point: “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.”
Floridians Protecting Freedom, a coalition of various groups that led the amendment campaign, has argued that the word "viability" is already defined in Florida statute,and they have accused the Attorney General of playing politics.
The Florida Department of State last Thursday officially notified Floridians Protecting Freedom that they have submitted "the requisite number and distribution of valid signatures to obtain ballot position ... for the 2024 General Election."
As of last Friday, the Florida Division of Elections had verified 993,387 signatures on submitted petitions, 100,000 more than the 891,523 that needed to be submitted by February 1, 2024 deadline.
So far, out of seven states that have voted on abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned, all seven have affirmed support, including conservative states like Kansas, Kentucky, and most recently Ohio. Florida is now poised to follow suit, pending the State Supreme Court decision.