Floridians Protecting Freedom, sponsors of an initiative that would prohibit restrictions on abortions before fetal viability, have submitted 297,586 valid signatures as of Sept. 1, qualifying the proposal for a review by the state supreme court.
The initiative would provide that “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.” The amendment would not change the state legislature’s ability to require parental notification for abortions sought by minors.
Proposed initiatives are reviewed by the state attorney general and state supreme court after proponents collect 25% of the total required signatures across the state (222,898 signatures) in each of one-half of the state’s congressional districts. After these preliminary signatures have been collected, the secretary of state must submit the proposal to the attorney general and the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC). The attorney general is required to petition the Florida Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the measure’s compliance with the single-subject rule, the appropriateness of the title and summary, and whether or not the measure “is facially valid under the United States Constitution.”
