Pro-choice leaders are mobilizing in response to potential changes to abortion access in Florida.
The midterms were the first round of nationwide elections since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, nixing a constitutional right to abortion that had been in place since 1973. Some states saw democratic victories in this most recent election cycle, but here, Republicans secured a supermajority in the state house and senate.
If abortion is further restricted in the state, Planned Parenthood will expand its patient navigation and transportation program to provide additional financial assistance for Floridians who need to travel to get care, Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast said.
The organization is also battling the current law alongside organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, and is encouraging patients to contact their representatives. Fraim said Planned Parenthood is prepared to immediately resume abortions past 15 weeks if they become legal again.
The nonprofit is also aiming to expand access to birth control as quickly as possible, Fraim said. One thing the organization won’t do is go away, even if Florida sees an all-out ban.
“We’re not going out of business,” Fraim said. “We will continue to do everything we can to provide people with the care that they need.”
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to “expand pro-life protections.” He has refrained from giving specifics since.
But following the election, Republican leaders told the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times they are prepared to further tighten abortion restrictions in Florida.
“I don’t think it’s time for me to put a number on it. … But I suspect if we’re going to move we’re going to move in a direction that is more pro-life,” incoming House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, told the outlets.
Incoming Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told the newspapers she wants to shrink the state’s current ban to 12 weeks, adding exceptions for rape and incest.
Florida’s current law bans abortion 15 weeks after a last menstrual period unless it’s deemed necessary to save the mother from death or serious injury, or if the fetus has a “fatal fetal abnormality,” defined as a condition that will result in death at birth or immediately after.
In addition, the state has a 24-hour waiting period, in effect since April, which requires two appointments on different days before the procedure can be performed.
Even those three weeks could make a big difference, said Fraim.
“Another three weeks is very harmful to people,” she said. “It’s medically harmful, that you can’t get the care you need and that you now are going to have to travel out of state. … And it matters from a respect point of view and a freedom point of view.”
As it is, the current ban has already come under sharp criticism from OBGYNs who say it disproportionately impacts younger women, lower-income and abused women, all of whom tend to get abortions later. They argue as well that the law threatens lives, and that 15 weeks isn’t enough time to detect some fetal abnormalities that might not cause immediate death, but are still serious enough to warrant an abortion.
Anna Varlamov, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Central Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel in October that two of her patients aborted before they knew whether their fetus was healthy because they were afraid of not having the option to abort if a serious genetic condition was identified after 15 weeks.
Facing the threat of additional restrictions, pro-choice advocates aren’t taking their foot off the gas.
“We said this was coming. The GOP majority is going to move aggressively to ban abortion & we need everyday people to fight back on the ground and in Tallahassee,” tweeted Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, last Friday in response to the Herald’s article. “They might have the majority in the chambers, but banning abortion is not what the majority of Floridians want.”
A May poll from Florida Atlantic University found 67% of surveyed Floridians want abortion legal in most or all cases and just 12% want a complete ban.
The Southeast pro-choice movement has also seen a recent victory.
A Fulton County judge on Tuesday overturned a six-week abortion ban in Georgia that had been in place since July, restoring access in the state at least temporarily.
The judge ruled the law was void because it was signed three years ago, when the U.S. Constitution still protected abortion nationwide.
Fraim is hopeful Georgia can take some pressure off Florida providers and give a more convenient option to Floridians past 15 weeks of pregnancy who need abortions.
“The tide is going to turn now as patients go up to Georgia to get the care that they need,” Fraim said.
Previously, South Carolina was the closest state offering abortions past 15 weeks.
Residents of states with bans or near-bans like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas came to Florida because it was closest to them. As a result, demand has risen dramatically, particularly after Roe v. Wade’s overturn allowed these states to issue all-out bans or six-week cutoffs.
“It’s going to be great for Florida because we can see those patients up [in Georgia.] They don’t have to drive down to Florida for two days,” Fraim said. “It’s a huge help to everybody in the southeast.”
The Georgia law may eventually be reinstated, however. The Georgia Attorney General’s office has filed an appeal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ccatherman@orlandosentinel.com; @CECatherman Twitter
