The court authorizes a referendum to decide on the enshrinement of the right to abortion in the state Constitution
The Supreme Court of Florida has ratified this Monday the entry into force of one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States, giving the ‘green light’ to the prohibition of abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, while authorizing a referendum to say about the enshrinement of the right to abortion in the state Constitution.
While the court has activated the abortion ban passed by Florida legislators last year, so that the law will take effect in 30 days, it has approved the drafting of a proposed constitutional amendment to protect the right to abortion so that appear on the ballot for the November elections.
Constitutional amendments in Florida need the support of at least 60 percent of voters to pass. If he gets the necessary votes, he would undo the six-week ban pending entry into force, as well as the current one, which restricts abortion after 15 weeks, as reported by the American television network CNN.
The text of the proposed amendment says that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the health of the patient, as determined by the patient’s health care professional. This amendment does not change the authority of the legislature to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor undergoes an abortion.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a federal law in April 2023 to prohibit abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, calling the help that any medical professional can give to circumvent this prohibition a third-degree crime.
Before reaching the Republican majority in Congress, Florida was considered a destination for many women from neighboring states with even stricter prohibitions, due to its comparatively advanced legislation on the matter. Florida is one of the leading Republican states in the growing conservative push to repeal the right to abortion in the country, which began when the Supreme Court revoked in June 2022 the legal precedent that has allowed the termination of pregnancy since 1973.
