Abortion

Roughly 2,000 more people got abortions in Florida last year than the previous year, according to the latest state data. Out-of-state residents once again fueled the spike.

Most states with abortion limits include exemptions for life-threatening emergencies, but only one state includes “serious mental illness” that could result in the death of the mother or fetus. It's not Florida.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we talk about a proposal to prohibit children 16 and under from creating social media accounts, how Florida’s National and State Guards are being used at the U.S. Southern border, this week’s Florida Supreme Court hearings over the abortion ballot measure, education stories, and a new Florida tax for Netflix subscribers.

The request comes after a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by a minor seeking a waiver from a parental notification and consent requirement in state law.

Lawyers trying to keep an abortion-rights measure off the Florida ballot told the state Supreme Court that the proposed amendment is deceptive. But justices hearing arguments Wednesday seemed to think voters will clearly see that the proposed ballot question would keep the state from restricting most abortions.

Justices will determine whether voters will get the opportunity to decide constitutional limits on abortion in the state.

Harris’ statistic is close even when counting just the populations of states with abortion bans at six weeks or less. When adding in states that ban abortion after 12 or 15 weeks of pregnancy, the number of affected women grows to about 40%.

After the Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion and many states banned the procedure, organizations hired dozens of people to help patients arrange travel and pay for care.

The bill would allow parents to sue for damages in the death of a fetus. Though bill sponsors say it's not abortion-related, attempts to make that clear in the text have so far failed.

A Sarasota-based organization promoting an abortion amendment for the 2024 Florida ballot says it has received notice from the state that the issue will indeed be on the ballot this year.

Strict abortion bans in nearby states are contributing to a significant increase in the number of out-of-state residents coming to Florida for the procedure in recent years.

The fight has resurfaced long-brewing ruptures, especially in Republican-leaning or closely divided states, where some activists worry that failing to include such limits will sink chances of passing abortion protections.