Planned Parenthood planning attack on DeSantis’s landmark abortion law: Report
Cami Mondeaux
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Planned Parenthood is reportedly launching an initiative to put abortion access on the 2024 ballot in Florida, setting the stage for a high-profile battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as he prepares a White House bid.
Abortion rights activists are set to announce the multimillion-dollar plan sometime next week, seeking to place a measure on the ballot that would roll back the state’s six-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed into law last month, according to Politico. The ballot measure would keep the procedure legal until the fetus reaches viability, which is typically around 24 weeks.
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“Floridians know what is best for their own bodies and their own lives,” said Sarah Standiford, national campaigns director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “People are ready to vote for reproductive freedom and to take back power from lawmakers who have literally gone against the will of the people.”
The effort comes as abortion rights activists hope to keep the subject at the top of minds during the 2024 cycle, especially after Democrats used reproductive rights as a key message to motivate their voter base in the midterm elections. The ballot measure is likely to help Democrats to increase party turnout in the Sunshine State, which typically leans toward Republicans.
To get the initiative on the ballot, the group must gather roughly 890,000 valid signatures before Feb. 1 — an effort that Planned Parenthood officials say will cost them millions of dollars in a state that has become increasingly conservative in recent years. To make things more complicated, the signatures must come from at least half of the state’s congressional districts.
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If the measure is included on the ballot, it must receive support from 60% of the state’s voters to be approved. Even then, the initiative could be struck down by the state legislature, which is controlled by Republicans.
The move comes as DeSantis is likely to make abortion restrictions a part of his messaging for his presidential campaign, which the Florida governor has not yet announced but is expected to in the coming weeks. Should he choose to run, he is likely to pose the greatest challenge to former President Donald Trump as he eyes a return to the Oval Office.