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Among the things Florida is voting on is a proposal that would overturn the state's ban on most abortions after six weeks. Instead, it would guarantee the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Florida Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis, have made several attempts to thwart the proposed amendment. Here's Regan McCarthy of member station WFSU.
REGAN MCCARTHY, BYLINE: Caroline recently found herself in the middle of two quickly brewing storms. One came from political pushback to a story she shared about her abortion.
CAROLINE: I was also packing up my house to evacuate for Milton.
MCCARTHY: Caroline is talking about Hurricane Milton, which crashed into Florida in early October. We're not using her last name to protect her safety. Back in 2022, when she was about 18 weeks pregnant, Caroline learned she had a brain tumor.
CAROLINE: The best chance of survival would be with the chemo and radiation, and all I wanted to do was leave the neuro ICU and go home to my almost 2-year-old girl.
MCCARTHY: Caroline's story was featured in a television ad, supporting Florida's proposed abortion amendment.
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CAROLINE: The doctors knew if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom. Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine.
MCCARTHY: The Florida Department of Health took issue with that last line in a cease and desist letter sent to television stations airing the ad. Florida's current law bans most abortions after six weeks, but it includes exceptions, such as protecting the life of the pregnant person.
CHELSEA DANIELS: These are not real exceptions.
MCCARTHY: Dr. Chelsea Daniels works for Planned Parenthood in Miami.
DANIELS: A simple exception clause written by a politician without a medical background does not take into account how medically complex patients can be and how clinically nuanced different situations can be.
MCCARTHY: Supporters of the amendment say Florida's ban endangers women by making access to abortion harder and by creating confusion and fear for doctors. Opponents argue the proposed amendment would put pregnant people in danger, and they say it's the abortion advocates who are causing confusion.
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RON DESANTIS: Well, thank you so much.
MCCARTHY: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis calls the amendment extreme.
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DESANTIS: There's a lot in this that is not something that most people would find acceptable. And regardless of even what the opinion on it is, you know, these are things that are just flat-out wrong to put in a constitution.
MCCARTHY: The DeSantis administration is behind a series of efforts to thwart the amendment, such as an investigation into alleged petition fraud, including police knocking on the doors of some people who signed to get the proposal on the ballot, and an ad and website published by the state's Agency for Health Care Administration that says the amendment, quote, "threatens women's safety." Amendment supporters say this is all an effort to mislead voters, but DeSantis pushes back on that idea.
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DESANTIS: What it is, is it's providing information about what Florida law is and the resources that are available under that law. They don't like that because they're lying about what's in Florida law.
LAUREN BRENZEL: We aren't telling lies. We're talking about facts. We have the stories of Florida women who have been denied this kind of care.
MCCARTHY: Lauren Brenzel heads Floridians Protecting Freedom, the campaign behind the state's proposed abortion amendment.
BRENZEL: Our plan is to share the stories and not fall into the trap that is getting distracted by counter-narratives because we know we're in the right here.
MCCARTHY: Florida's amendment needs 60% approval to pass. Abortion advocates see it as a chance to ensure abortion access not only for women in Florida, but for pregnant people throughout the Southeast.
For NPR News, I'm Regan McCarthy in Tallahassee.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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