{"id":2328926,"date":"2024-08-22T01:54:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T05:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/floridia-ballot-initiative-would-legalize-second-trimester-abortions\/"},"modified":"2024-08-22T02:04:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T06:04:42","slug":"floridia-ballot-initiative-would-legalize-second-trimester-abortions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/floridia-ballot-initiative-would-legalize-second-trimester-abortions\/","title":{"rendered":"Floridia Ballot Initiative Would Legalize Second-Trimester Abortions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffloridia-ballot-initiative-would-legalize-second-trimester-abortions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2328926&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Florida, conservatives\u2063 are grappling with a significant ballot initiative for November that\u200c aims to amend\u2063 the\u2063 state constitution to allow for essentially unrestricted abortion rights. Known \u2062as Amendment 4, \u2062the initiative has garnered substantial financial backing, raising nearly $40 million, \u200dpredominantly from high-value donations.\u2064 The amendment would permit \u200babortions on demand until\u200d the 25th week of pregnancy and allows\u2063 for abortions at any \u200btime under the discretion of a &#8220;healthcare provider,&#8221; based on the patient&#8217;s health needs. Notably, it would\u2063 also \u200dremove the requirement for parental consent for minors \u2063seeking abortions, while still mandating parental\u2064 notification.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b organization Floridians Protecting Freedom spearheaded the initiative, successfully collecting nearly \u20631 million signatures to place it on the ballot. Polls indicate that a\u2063 majority of Florida voters, including many \u2062Republicans, support the amendment, raising questions \u2062about how such a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-details-emerge-in-shooting-of-84-year-old-pro-life-volunteer-michigan-man-charged\/\" title=\"New Details Emerge In Shooting Of 84-Year-Old Pro-Life Volunteer, Michigan Man Charged\">pro-abortion measure<\/a> has gained traction in\u200d a conservative state. Analysts attribute part \u2063of this success to the Republican Party of Florida&#8217;s lack of\u200b an effective opposition strategy, \u200bparticularly highlighted \u2062during \u2063the recent re-election of a\u2063 pro-abortion \u200cstate supreme\u200c court justice.<\/p>\n<p>The amendment&#8217;s language is framed around fetal viability, which has influenced public perception and support. Critics argue that if presented\u2064 in more traditional terms related\u2062 to \u200btrimester limits, \u2062public\u2064 backing would\u200c diminish significantly. The Florida GOP has been criticized for inadequate \u2064engagement and a \u2063failure to mobilize substantial opposition to the amendment, raising concerns that they could potentially achieve a victory if they leveraged proper messaging and grassroots campaigning.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges and the considerable financial \u2062advantage among registered Republicans, the party&#8217;s inaction may prevent them from successfully mobilizing conservatives against this\u200c radical change. The article concludes by emphasizing that voter \u2062awareness regarding the amendment&#8217;s implications could\u200d sway the outcome against \u200bit.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Florida&rsquo;s conservatives are facing down a November ballot initiative to enshrine essentially unrestricted abortion in the state constitution. The measure, Amendment 4, is backed by a group that has raised almost $40 million, with more than 85 percent of that coming from donations of $50,000 or more. <\/p>\n<p>Amendment 4 would allow abortion on-demand through the 25th week of pregnancy, which is the point of fetal viability outside the womb, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/advocacy\/facts-are-important\/understanding-and-navigating-viability\">according<\/a> to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. More importantly, the amendment <a href=\"https:\/\/initiativepetitions.elections.myflorida.com\/InitiativeForms\/Fulltext\/Fulltext_2307_EN.pdf\">would<\/a> allow abortion at any time with a decision by a &ldquo;healthcare provider&rdquo; that an abortion is &ldquo;necessary to protect the patient&rsquo;s health.&rdquo; The measure <a href=\"https:\/\/initiativepetitions.elections.myflorida.com\/InitiativeForms\/Fulltext\/Fulltext_2307_EN.pdf\">would<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/votenoon4florida.com\/\">also<\/a> eliminate the requirement of parental consent for a minor to have an abortion, but leave in place the requirement that parents be notified of a minor having an abortion.<\/p>\n<p>If Amendment 4 passes, a Planned Parenthood &ldquo;health care provider&rdquo; (a term not defined under Florida law) could determine that an abortion is necessary to protect a woman&rsquo;s health &mdash; even a minor&rsquo;s health, and potentially her &ldquo;mental health.&rdquo; The determination could be based on &ldquo;protecting&rdquo; the woman from the normal risks of pregnancy and birth, anxiety over having a child, or the risk of post-partum depression. <\/p>\n<p>That same &ldquo;health care provider&rdquo; might then perform the abortion, with no limit on how late in the pregnancy the abortion could be performed. And if the woman were a minor, the law would require only that her parents be notified.<\/p>\n<p>A group called &ldquo;Floridians Protecting Freedom&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.elections.myflorida.com\/Initiatives\/initdetail.asp?account=83927&amp;seqnum=1\">sponsored<\/a> this initiative and collected close to 1 million signatures to get it on the ballot. Backers of the initiative are organizing their ground campaign for November, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mobilize.us\/yes4florida\/event\/629012\/\">recruiting<\/a> canvassers, distributing yard signs, and continuing to raise funds. They are also ramping up their spending, with more than $500,000 of their $16 million cash on-hand spent in the week ending Aug. 2 alone.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unfporl.org\/uploads\/1\/4\/4\/5\/144559024\/unf_fall23_statewide.pdf\">Polling<\/a> shows a majority of voters backing this amendment, <em>including a majority of Florida Republicans<\/em>. How could such an extreme pro-abortion amendment make such headway in conservative Florida? A big part of the answer: the failure of the Republican Party of Florida (RFOP) to mount any effective opposition.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, five of the seven Florida State Supreme Court justices were up for re-election, including pro-abortion justice Jorge Labarga. Labarga is one of the four-to-three majority that greenlit the initiative to be on the ballot. The RPOF did not issue a candidate slate for that judicial election. Labarga, a former Democrat Gov. Charlie Christ appointee, was easily re-elected.<\/p>\n<h2>Deceptive Phrasing<\/h2>\n<p>A November 2023 poll by the North Florida University shows 62 percent of Florida voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unfporl.org\/uploads\/1\/4\/4\/5\/144559024\/unf_fall23_statewide.pdf\">approve<\/a> of this amendment, <em>including 53 percent of Republicans<\/em>. This is in contrast to Gallup&rsquo;s July 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/321143\/americans-stand-abortion.aspx\">survey<\/a> reporting that 55 percent of Americans oppose legal abortion in the second trimester (which starts at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leg.state.fl.us\/statutes\/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&amp;SubMenu=1&amp;App_mode=Display_Statute&amp;Search_String=trimester&amp;URL=0300-0399\/0390\/Sections\/0390.011.html\">12 weeks<\/a> under Florida law) and 70 percent oppose legal abortion in the third trimester.<\/p>\n<p>Are we to believe that Florida Republicans are more extreme on abortion than average Americans? The answer is no. How Amendment 4 frames abortion explains its widespread support. When framed in terms of trimesters, as Gallup does, most people oppose second-trimester and later abortions. When framed in terms of fetal viability (as Amendment 4 does), most people state support for abortions that could be almost as late as the third trimester.<\/p>\n<p>This difference shows both the deceptive genius in crafting the Florida amendment and its Achilles heel: reframe the issue in terms of trimesters and support for the amendment would drop. This amendment could be defeated if voters also realized it would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dear-ohioans-vote-in-2023-or-kiss-your-constitution-and-parents-rights-goodbye\/\" title=\"Ohioans, vote in 2023 to protect your Constitution and parental rights.\">eliminate parental consent<\/a> for minors to get abortions.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida GOP Raises Money to Do Nothing<\/h2>\n<p>When the initiative&rsquo;s backers were using paid, out-of-state solicitors to gather petition signatures, the RPOF did little to educate conservatives about what this amendment would do. The RPOF did not bother to file an amicus brief when the amendment came <a href=\"https:\/\/supremecourt.flcourts.gov\/content\/download\/2285282\/opinion\/Opinion_SC2023-1392.pdf\">before<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-key-points-from-trump-campaign-press-conference-on-challenges-to-election-results\/\" title=\"9 Key Points from Trump Campaign Press Conference on Challenges to Election Results\">state supreme court<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>After the amendment was cleared for the ballot on April 1, the RPOF issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.nationbuilder.com\/floridagop\/pages\/3274\/attachments\/original\/1715024474\/RPOF_Exec_Board_Resolutions.pdf?1715024474\">symbolic<\/a> resolution opposing it. The RPOF includes a <a href=\"https:\/\/florida.gop\/fl_amendments_positions-2\/\">statement<\/a> opposing Amendment 4 in its statement of opinions on proposed amendments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Not effectively fighting this amendment did not keep the RPOF from fundraising off it.&nbsp;On the two-year anniversary of the <em>Dobbs<\/em> decision, the RPOF sent an email asking for signatures on an &ldquo;OFFICIAL PETITION&rdquo; opposing this amendment (all caps courtesy of the RPOF). This legally meaningless petition leads to a fundraising page to &ldquo;benefit [the] Republican Party of Florida,&rdquo; with no specific pledge to use the funds to fight Amendment 4.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida&rsquo;s GOP Could Win This Fight<\/h2>\n<p>The Florida Republican Party may believe they cannot win this fight, given Ohio&rsquo;s recent passage of a similar abortion on-demand state constitutional amendment. If so, the party is missing several key points.<\/p>\n<p>This amendment is so radical that most conservatives would oppose it<em> if<\/em> they knew what it would do. Amending the state constitution requires approval of 60 percent of the voters in Florida, versus 50 percent in Ohio. Florida is 39 percent registered Republican, giving the RPOF a two-to-one advantage over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohiosos.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/2024\/2024-05-10a\/\">Ohio&rsquo;s<\/a> GOP.<\/p>\n<p>The RPOF may be counting on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-fright-cnns-chris-cuomo-suggests-pro-life-legislation-motivated-by-racism\/\" title=\"\u2018White Fright\u2019: CNN\u2019s Chris Cuomo Suggests Pro-Life Legislation Motivated By Racism\">pro-lifers<\/a> to do nothing if the RPOF fails to effectively fight this amendment. Sadly, they might be right. What would Florida pro-lifers do if the RPOF continues its only symbolic measures against Amendment 4? Vote Democrat? Not likely.<\/p>\n<h2>What Could RPOF Do Right Now?<\/h2>\n<p>This late in the game, the RPOF would have to leverage all its resources to fight Amendment 4.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>The RPOF could provide a fact sheet about Amendment 4 to each of Florida&rsquo;s 67 county Republican Executive Committees (RECs) and all chartered Republican clubs in the state with instructions to email and text it to their members. It could pin such a fact sheet on the RPOF&rsquo;s Facebook page and prominently display it on its website, Instagram, and X pages. The RPOF could also send a series of emails and texts to all the voters in the RPOF&rsquo;s contact lists outlining just how radical Amendment 4 is.<\/p>\n<p>The Florida GOP could enlist other conservative groups, such as all the Florida chapters of Young Americans for Freedom, in this fight. Another measure is to enlist leaders of conservative religious denominations at the state and regional level to follow the example of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and educate their congregations about Amendment 4.<\/p>\n<p>The RPOF could also provide the RECs and clubs with pamphlets and yard signs against Amendment 4. It could provide funding to the other groups fighting Amendment 4, such as Florida Voters Against Extremism and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Lastly, it could recast the abortion issue by pointing out that, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/71\/ss\/ss7110a1.htm\">Centers for Disease Control<\/a>, black women have an abortion rate nearly four times that of white women.<\/p>\n<p><em>The RPOF did not reply to requests for comments about the fight against Amendment 4.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Bruce Atkinson is a retired federal employee and registered Republican. He lives in Florida with his wife, three cats, four cattle, and five bee colonies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida conservatives are confronting a ballot initiative in November aimed at establishing nearly unrestricted abortion rights in the state constitution. This proposal, known as Amendment 4, has garnered support from a group that has raised nearly $40 million, with over 85% of that amount coming from donations of $50,000 or more. If passed, Amendment 4 would permit abortions on demand up to the 25th week of pregnancy\u2014considered the point of fetal viability outside the womb by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Crucially, it would also allow abortions at any time if a &#8220;healthcare provider&#8221; deems it necessary for protecting the patient&#8217;s health. Additionally, while it would remove parental consent requirements for minors seeking an abortion, it would still mandate parental notification.<\/p>\n<p>Should Amendment 4 be approved, a Planned Parenthood &#8220;health care provider&#8221; (a term not clearly defined under Florida law) could decide that an abortion is essential for safeguarding a woman&#8217;s health\u2014even in cases involving minors\u2014and potentially cite reasons related to mental health or anxiety about childbirth. This determination could lead to abortions being performed without restrictions on how late into pregnancy they occur; parents would only need to be notified if their child underwent such a procedure.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative is sponsored by &#8220;Floridians Protecting Freedom,&#8221; which successfully collected close to one million signatures to place it on the ballot. Supporters are actively organizing their campaign for November by recruiting canvassers and raising funds; they have already spent over $500,000 from their $16 million budget within just one week.<\/p>\n<p>Polls indicate that most voters support this amendment\u2014including many Republicans in Florida\u2014raising questions about how such an extreme pro-abortion measure gained traction in a conservative state. A significant factor appears to be the Republican Party of Florida&#8217;s (RPOF) ineffective opposition efforts.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, five out of seven justices on the Florida State Supreme Court were up for re-election\u2014including pro-abortion justice Jorge Labarga\u2014who was part of the majority allowing this amendment onto the ballot. The RPOF did not present candidates during this judicial election cycle and Labarga was easily re-elected.<\/p>\n<p>A recent poll conducted by North Florida University shows that 62% of Floridians approve Amendment 4\u2014including over half of Republicans\u2014contrasting sharply with Gallup&#8217;s findings indicating that most Americans oppose legal abortion during later trimesters. This discrepancy suggests that framing plays a crucial role: when presented based on trimesters\u2014as Gallup does\u2014most people oppose second-trimester and later abortions; however, when framed around fetal viability\u2014as Amendment 4 does\u2014support increases significantly.<\/p>\n<p>This highlights both cleverness in crafting Florida&#8217;s amendment and its vulnerability: reframing discussions around trimesters could diminish support significantly since many voters may not realize it removes parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions.<\/p>\n<p>Despite failing to mount effective opposition against this initiative while its backers utilized paid solicitors for signature gathering\u2014the RPOF did little educational outreach regarding what Amendment 4 entails nor filed any amicus brief when challenged before state supreme court judges after its approval date on April 1st\u2014they still attempted fundraising efforts off concerns surrounding it through symbolic petitions lacking concrete commitments against passing amendments like these.<\/p>\n<p>The RPOF might believe they cannot win against similar measures seen recently elsewhere but overlook key factors: amending state constitutions requires higher voter approval thresholds than other states like Ohio where similar amendments passed recently; additionally registered Republicans make up almost forty percent statewide giving them leverage compared with counterparts elsewhere who lack such advantages politically speaking overall too!<\/p>\n<p>To effectively combat this issue now\u2014the RPOF should mobilize all available resources towards fighting back against proposed changes including distributing fact sheets outlining implications associated directly tied into proposed legislation across county committees statewide along with social media campaigns targeting constituents informing them about radical nature behind these proposals! They can collaborate alongside conservative organizations &amp; religious leaders educating communities further while providing pamphlets\/yards signs opposing measures too! <\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately no comments were received from representatives within GOP regarding ongoing battles surrounding upcoming elections ahead either way moving forward hereafter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3374,"featured_media":2328927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/3298748510_2f57823d71_k-e1723990266893.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[36700,5113,38915],"class_list":["post-2328926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-ballot-initiative","tag-florida","tag-second-trimester-abortions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/3298748510_2f57823d71_k-e1723990266893.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3374"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}