Why I'm reluctant to sign the "Limiting government interference with abortion" petition

[Towlie]

Read the Full Text of Amendment

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT FULL TEXT

Ballot Title: Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

Ballot Summary: 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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

Article and Section Being Created or Amended: Creates - Article 1, New Section

Full Text of the Proposed Amendment: New Section, Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

Limiting government interference with abortion.— Except as provided in Article X, Section 22, 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.

I fully support the simple and straightforward principle that women have the right to control their own bodies (or more generally that we all have the right to control our own bodies), and forced birth is an egregious violation of that right.

But this isn't it! I don't want to support limiting government interference with abortion, I want to support outlawing government interference with abortion! No exceptions, no subjective provisions like "viability", and no arbitrary time limits involving "trimesters", etc. And I'd support "require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion" only if "before" is changed to "after". No minor girl should have birth forced upon her by anyone.

This proposed amendment would certainly be an improvement over what we have now, but by actually asking for these unjustifiable limitations it would severely weaken the possibility of ever achieving what women rightfully deserve, and I don't think we should settle for anything less.

[eallen]

1. Don't let perfect become the enemy of what is better

[Towlie]

2. Voltaire also wrote "A witty saying proves nothing."

One could easily say the opposite, but either way such responses are pointless without supporting arguments.

[Timeflyer]

3. Amendment was carefully crafted to pass muster by the FL DeSatan Supremes and Attorney General.

It was written with the knowledge that it would be challenged at every step, before voters ever got a chance to decide the issue for themselves.

[HAB911]

4. Skeptical but hopeful it will make it past those yahoos

[CincyDem]

5. How's it's written won't impact it being challenged at every step of the way.

Ohio just passed Issue #1, a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion. Not to put words in anyone's mouth but I suspect the OP would be comfortable signing up for the amendment language. Passed 57-43 which in this state is pretty darn good.

And in spite of the clarity of the language, we're still nowhere closer to making that a reality as republicans try every move in the book (along with a few new ones) to prevent this amendment from ever being enforced.

So even when voters do get a chance to decide, republicans view is as still "undecided".

Asshats.

[Phoenix61]

6. The language you seem to want isn't ever put in an

amendment. It’s a notification requirement with a work around not a permission requirement. Look what they did with the amendment to restore voting rights to convicted felons?

[In It to Win It]

7. Couple things

Last edited Thu Jan 4, 2024, 11:37 AM - Edit history (1)

1) The parental notification and/or consent for a minor's abortion is already in the state constitution and this proposed amendment will leave that intact. The voters of Florida chose to give the legislature power to require parental notice 20 years ago so I think that's the compromise.

I think you should take that part out of your consideration. This amendment will have no effect on the state being able to regulate abortions for minors.

2) We don't have any other recourse. We lost the one shield we had on abortion, the Florida Supreme Court. We're all assuming the Florida Supreme Court will overturn its abortion precedent. They're going to say that the right to privacy in the state constitution does not extend to a decision to get an abortion. This amendment gives the people of Florida some recourse because we're going to be stuck with anti-abortion Republicans in charge of the state government for the foreseeable future.

You have to keep in mind that Florida has moved to the right and we need 60% of the vote, so we have to rely on "conservatives" more than other states to vote for this in order for it to pass. This gets the state of Florida back to where we were pre-Dobbs. There had to be some compromise, like keeping parental notice requirements intact.

[hay rick]

8. Your preference for an amendment that would gleefully be laughed out of the Florida Supreme Court is duly noted.