Care for the Culture of Life after Roe’s Reversal
Ninety (90%) percent of abortions in America occur prior to the 12th week of pregnancy, and according to the CDC, ninety-four (94%) percent take place at or prior to the 15th week.
This means that since the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, while there are now 14 states with valid laws banning all abortions ( some with exceptions for rape, incest, and imminent danger to the life of the mother), most of the remaining states have laws which do little to restrict abortions, with 3 states having bans at 6 weeks (Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina) , and 1 state’s 6 week ban still under judicial review at this writing ( Iowa ). https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/a-guide-to-abortion-laws-by-state
Florida is a Sanctuary State for the Voiceless Unborn Child
By virtue of its Heartbeat Protection Act, Florida serves as a Sanctuary State for the voiceless unborn child by limiting legal abortions to those performed within the 6 week average window of pregnancy awareness, except in cases of rape, incest, human trafficking, fatal fetal abnormality, or to save the life of the mother. The act was approved by 64% of Florida’s State Legislature, and was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 13, 2023.
But now Florida’s Sanctuary is under attack from the well-funded forces of the nationwide abortion industry, in particular from Planned Parenthood. They’ve received approval from the Florida Supreme Court to put an abortion-on-demand amendment to Florida’s Constitution on November’s ballot for a a yes or no vote by the people of Florida, and the language of the amendment, along with it’s explanation, is likely to very likely to mislead voters who haven’t been brought up to speed on exactly what that language does and does not mean. Here is what the proposed amendment says, along with the “Ballot Summary” supposedly explaining the amendment.
Proposed Amendment
“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.”
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.”
As you can see, the Ballot Summary does not explain the meaning of the amendment’s language, which has 4 major problems:
1. At ANY stage of her pregnancy, a woman could complain about her pregnancy causing her ANY “health” condition, including anxiety and emotional distress over the prospect of being unduly burdened by having to raise the child;
2. The validity and significance of a woman’s health complaint can be determined by ANY “healthcare provider,” INCLUDING for example the employees of an abortion services provider such as Planned Parenthood;
3. Medical safety regulations designed to protect the pregnant woman from harm could be IGNORED if they “prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict” the performance of the abortion. Under current health and safety regulations, Florida’ Agency for Health Care Administration initiated 31 administrative actions against Florida’s 52 abortion clinics in calendar year 2022 alone. Imagine what would happen if none of those regulations are in place and there’s nobody overseeing the clinics. Daniel, Katie – Florida Must Reject Stealth Abortion Radicalism, National Review, March 19, 2024. https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/03/floridians-must-reject-stealth-abortion-radicalism/ ; and
4. The Ballot Summary says that parental “notification” laws in cases involving minors will remain in effect, but does NOT provide for the preservation of parental “consent” laws.
In short, if this amendment is adopted, a 15 yr. old girl could obtain an abortion without her parents’ consent, and a woman could go to Planned Parenthood in the 9th month of her pregnancy and get a legal abortion on the grounds that she has a sudden case of high anxiety and severe emotional distress. This is essentially unrestricted abortion on demand, regardless of the fact that the unborn child is undoubtedly “viable,” that is, capable of surviving outside the womb.
Thus, this amendment means THE END of any advancement in the Culture of Life for Florida, a Sanctuary State for the Voiceless Unborn Child.