(RNS) — Since the Supreme Court returned the question of abortion to the states in 2022, voters have consistently sided with abortion rights. In every state where abortion measures have been put on ballots, abortion rights have come out on top. But that may change in Florida next week.
Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states this election, but Florida is seen as anti-abortion groups’ best chance to notch a win, as they need to convince just slightly more than 2 in 5 Florida voters to vote no on Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that would constitutionalize Floridians’ right to abortion before viability. Florida currently has a ban on abortion after six weeks — a restriction, passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, that in May 2024 replaced a previous 15-week ban. Because the ballot measure is an amendment to the state’s constitution, Amendment 4 requires a 60% support threshold in order to pass.
The stakes are high for both abortion rights and anti-abortion groups as they fight for and against the amendment. If Florida were to open up abortion rights, it would be the only abortion access point in the southeastern United States, as all the states bordering …
