Florida’s 6-week abortion ban is in effect, and it eliminates access to it in the South
The Impact of the Florida Abortion Ban on Pregnant Women and Children in the United States: A Voice for the Unborn and the Children’s Lives
Megan Jeyufo is the executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund which is working with partners in Florida to assist patients who are looking to travel to the Midwest for care. But she worries people may devote all their resources to getting that passed and forget the pregnant people affected by the ban now.
Florida is no longer an option for the rest of the region. The State of North Carolina has a mandatory waiting period with in-person requirements for abortion and it is not always a viable alternative.
Abortion care providers in the state like Planned Parenthood are doing ultrasounds earlier and have extended their hours to accommodate as many patients as they can.
Barbara Zdravecky says that she wants to help everyone with information in order to access care as quickly as possible.
“The emotional turmoil that’s going to happen, the anger, the fear, the anxiety is going to be great,” says Zdravecky, who adds centers are ramping up support staff to respond to patients’ concerns and help them navigate their options.
Florida has a 24 hour mandatory waiting period on top of the ban on using Telemetry for Abortions. Patients have to go to two in person appointments, one for a consultation and the other for the procedure at least one day later.
Even with assistance, travel may not be an option for some people, which means they may choose to self-manage their abortions or carry unwanted pregnancies to term.
McKenna Kelley is a volunteer board member with the Tampa Bay, and says that about 90 percent of their calls will have to be sent out of state because of this.
Abortion funds can help pregnant people cover the cost of abortion procedures and relieve some of the logistical challenges associated with seeking care. Paying for flights, hotel stays and other travel expenses is more difficult than getting someone a ride to a nearby clinic.
Kelley claims that “rage donations” poured in from supporters angry about the Dobbs decision, but abortion funds say this hasn’t been the case in Florida. Organizers fear they will not be able to help everyone who needs it, but say funds are putting together a stronger support network around the country.
“Our position is we need to protect unborn children, we need to celebrate life, protect life, that’s the chief role of government,” says John Stemberger, president of Liberty Counsel Action, a religious liberty organization that supports abortion bans.
The American Dream Amendment and the Implications for Abortion Laws: President Biden’s Visit to Tampa, where he met with Dr. Martin Stemberger
He says the group briefed nearly 200 crisis pregnancy centers about the law and how to prepare for increased demand for services.
These centers are usually run by faith-based organizations. They encourage pregnant women not to get abortions and to consider parenting or adoption instead. They sometimes offer free ultrasounds or baby supplies.
“We really want to appeal to young mothers or even older mothers who are in what we’d consider a crisis pregnancy to basically think differently about the issue,” says Stemberger.
Some crisis pregnancy centers have been known to provide people with misleading or inaccurate medical information. There have also been calls for more oversight.
Many survivors don’t feel safe or comfortable reporting assaults, says Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro, executive director of the abortion fund Florida Access Network. She calls the requirements cruel and unrealistic.
We need to turn out the vote this fall for the sake of people’s freedom. Fentrice Driskell is a Democrat and said the Supreme Court has put the issue in the voters’ hands.
While Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak about abortion in Jacksonville on Wednesday, President Joe Biden is making the topic of abortion the focus of his visit to Tampa last Monday.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Pro-life America said in a statement after President Biden’s visit to that the abortion lobby’s dream amendment is extremely misleading.
The state legal challenge to the effort was centered on the wording of the proposal. Moody argued that it would confuse voters. The proposal was written in terms that clearly reflected the text of the proposed amendment, according to the Supreme Court’s 4-3 opinion.
People will give birth when they didn’t want to because Amendment 4 is going to be won on the backs of those people.
