#reproductive freedom amendment

[tomorrowusa]

Reproductive freedom will likely be on the ballot in Nevada this November.

The Nevada Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling and issued a decision saying that such a measure has the right to be voted on as an amendment to the Nevada constitution.

Nevada already protects abortion through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. Putting that right in the state constitution will further solidify that right.

The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled in favor of granting ballot access to a broad “reproductive freedom” ballot question seeking to enshrine rights to a wide range of birth control, fertility and abortion options into the state Constitution — though the group supporting the initiative is already moving forward with a proposal more narrowly tailored to abortion access. The 16-page decision released Thursday overturned a lower court’s ruling that said inclusion of topics such as prenatal care, abortions, vasectomies and infertility care under the umbrella of “reproductive rights” within a single ballot question was unconstitutional because the framing was too broad. “[A]ll the medical procedures considered in the initiative petition concern reproduction. To assert that they could not all be addressed together because they are separate procedures is improper,” read the opinion, which was signed by six of seven justices on the court. Justice Patricia Lee recused herself from the case because of a professional conflict of interest. But the ruling will likely not affect the petition’s chances of landing on the November ballot, as the group supporting it — Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom — has said it intends to prioritize collecting signatures on a narrower petition that focuses only on abortion rights. The high court will also rule on the constitutionality of that proposal — which received approval from a lower court judge in January — though Thursday’s opinion indicates that it is almost sure to pass legal muster from the state’s high court.

Like Nevada, New York and Maryland already protect the right to abortion. They too will hold referendums this autumn to place that right in their state constitutions.

Florida is poor on reproductive freedom and is set to get worse; but the passage of Florida Amendment 4 in November could fully restore reproductive freedom in the state now under the repressive rule of Ron DeSantis and his gerrymandered legislative supermajority.

Thanks to the Republican US Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, it's now up to the states to protect reproductive freedom. Placing that right in state constitutions is the highest level of legal protection available.

[thecapitolradar]

In Texas, Ken Paxton takes abortion law into his own hands

Regional standard-bearer of the state religion of dominionism cancels out Texas woman's First Amendment rights. #FIFY

[thoughtportal]

The historical context of the 14th amendment

[penguinlover27]

This is not the first time I have heard mention of the 13th Amendment in relation to constitutional protection for abortion rights. In fact, Elie Mystal included this in a chapter of his amazing book, Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution. (BTW, I highly recommend the audiobook version. Elie narrates and adds his passion about constitutional law shine through!)

I hope that this argument has its day in front of SCOTUS, as I think that it would be harder for the activist conservative justices to dismiss than arguments based on the 14th Amendment were. 

The Dobbs decision that overturned Roe cannot stand. Women cannot be compelled to carry a pregnancy to term by threat of law. Decisions around healthcare should be made by the individual and her health care providers. The government has no business interfering in such decisions. 

The right to abortion must be recognized as being as absolute at the 2nd Amendment is considered to be. Too much other civil rights protections hinge on the same sources of law as Roe.

[dragonengine]

For the Vermont State elections this year there are two important constitutional amendments on the ballot this year, Proposition 2 and Proposition 5. I feel that these amendments are important to add to our State constitution because they're intended to preserve our rights.

Proposition 2 is intended to remove any exceptions to where slavery is permitted. It removes language that would have allowed it in cases where someone is in debt or in prison. I feel this is long overdue and important to say slavery is not acceptable in any form.

Proposition 5 is to create a new amendment to protect our rights to reproductive autonomy. I feel this is important because there are many aspects to reproductive health. This protects everything around if, when, and how someone gets pregnant and deals with their pregnancy. So things like whether or not I want to get a vasectomy, whether or not I want to be a sperm donor, and dealing with things like infertility and how I would manage that. This covers helping those who are pregnant manage and ensure they have a healthy pregnancy and a safe birth. This is about so much more than abortion, and framing this amendment as anything other than preserving our freedoms feels disingenuous. These are just some of the reasons and not an exhaustive list of what is covered. If you'd like to look at things that are considered reproductive health, the CDC has a great informational page on reproductive health with topics to explore. The link is https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/index.html

I hope that anyone eligible to vote in Vermont takes time to look past the decisive rhetoric, and see these amendments for what they are intended for, which is to preserve our freedoms.

Also please vote regardless of where you are. Local elections are so important because they impact us so directly.

[4bworld]

Does overturning Roe v. Wade put other constitutional freedoms at risk?

Great debate going on at @4bnewsworld! Read both sides of the discussion. Two writers details each position in short articles just for you to decide on your own.

Interested? Join in at the link!

#roevwade #scotus #court #prochoice #biden #abortion #prolife #guns #politico #abortionrights #constitution #womensrights #mybodymychoice #firstamendment #ndamendment #humanrights #reproductiverights #plannedparenthood #abortionismurder #freedom #righttolife #chooselife #abortionishealthcare #reproductivejustice #endabortion #feminist #prolifegeneration #abortionaccess #feminism #unbornlivesmatter

[fandomsandfeminism]

I'm so *tired* of trying to follow bigots down their rabbit holes of nonsense to scream reason at them. Showing them the logical fallacies, the contradictions, the lack of evidence, the misinformation in big block letters. I'm so so so tired of approaching hatred as though it is just ignorance, as though if you can walk them through the logic, they'll deradicalize.

You're hurting people and that's bad.

That's it. That's the whole debate. Attacks on reproductive freedom, attacks on queer folks, profit first health care, 2nd amendment nuts,all if it.

You're hurting people. That's bad. You've come up with a thousand buzzwords and talking points and twisted little arguments to tell yourself that it's good, but it's not and that's it.

It doesn't matter how you define a woman or if the founding fathers would have supported AR15 ownership or if the primary purpose of sex is conception or whatever dumb little arguments get thrown around. People are being hurt and thats bad. That's the whole issue and I'm so tired.

[ridenwithbiden]

ICYMI "Ohio Republicans are claiming a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights, which was approved by voters in Tuesday’s election, doesn’t actually do that - and they’re promising to take steps to prevent the legal protection of reproductive freedom in the state.

“To prevent mischief by pro-abortion courts with Issue 1, Ohio legislators will consider removing jurisdiction from the judiciary over this ambiguous ballot initiative,” Ohio House Republicans wrote in a statement released Thursday. “The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws based on public hearings and input from legal experts on both sides.”

Ohio banned abortion in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, but legal challenges to state’s abortion laws left residents’ reproductive rights in limbo until Tuesday’s ballot measure. The strategy Republicans are now proposing would essentially strip Ohio’s courts of the authority to repeal existing abortion restrictions before the new amendment goes into effect on December 7.

“No amendment can overturn the God-given rights with which we were born,” state Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena) added in the Republican’s statement. Another representative, Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), claimed the referendum had only passed due to “foreign election interference.”

Rep. Bill Dean (R-Xenia) said the amendment “doesn’t repeal a single Ohio law,” and that its language is “dangerously vague and unconstrained, and can be weaponized to attack parental rights or defend rapists, pedophiles, and human traffickers.”

Ohio is not the only state where Republicans are attempting to undermine pro-choice ballot initiatives endorsed by constituents. In Michigan, two anti-choice activist groups are working with Republican lawmakers to sue the state and block the implementation of that state’s voter-approved constitutional amendment.

Stacey LaRouche, press secretary to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, told The Detroit News that “it shouldn’t be lost on people that these right-wing organizations and radical Republicans in the Michigan Legislature are cherry-picking courts to try to once again overturn a constitutionally guaranteed right because they can’t win with voters.”

Ballot measures supporting reproductive freedom have been approved in all seven states where they have been put to voters. Despite Republicans claiming that the end of Roe signified the return of the abortion issue to the will of individual states, they clearly remain determined to undermine reproductive rights no matter what any state’s voters have to say about them."

[a-really-big-cat]

Ohio's Issue 1 is a disaster.

On November 7, Ohioans will have the chance to vote on Issue 1 ("The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety"), a ballot initiative that would enshrine the right to abortion into Ohio's state constitution. This is a crucial battle for not only Ohio but also the country, both because people from Kentucky, Indiana, and other nearby states would travel to Ohio for abortions, and because our opposition wants to build momentum with the narrative that Americans are overall pro-abortion.

Of course, this is a lie. Supporters of Issue 1 are running ads telling Ohioans that a yes vote means they are protecting access to emergency care for miscarriages or life-threatening situations; such interpretations gloss over the fact that Ohio's current abortion statutes already do that (see Section 2919.11 regarding missed miscarriage and Section 2919.12(C)2 regarding emergencies). Abortion activists have to lie about the nature of these ballot initiatives, because in general Americans are very sympathetic to abortion for emergencies, and very unsympathetic to elective abortion. And the reality is these initiatives dramatically expand elective abortion.

This is a winnable fight.

Here's the good news: First, initial polls found less than 60% of Ohioans supported Issue 1; usually at this stage in a ballot fight, the side that wants a ballot to be approved hopes for at least 60% support so they have a buffer when there's voter attrition. Second, the language that will appear on the ballot is modified from the language originally used for gathering signatures, and specifically the word "fetus" has been replaced with the phrase "unborn child" (see the recent Ohio Supreme Court ruling here at paragraphs 43 & 44). Research shows the more we humanize the unborn, the less inclined people are to support abortion. Third, support for Issue 1 decreases as we talk to more voters about the full impacts of this amendment. We are already moving in the right direction. 

Learn the impacts of Issue 1.

Pro-life organizations and volunteers in Ohio are finding voters are not difficult to persuade. Often when they learn the full impacts of the text of the amendment, they oppose it. Issue 1 impacts can include:

Eliminating parental rights (notification and consent) as they've already done in Illinois and California

Eliminating health and safety standards for abortion clinics

Eliminating the Down Syndrome Nondiscrimination Act

Eliminating 24 hour waiting periods

Allowing elective abortion of healthy, viable fetuses under broad "health" exceptions that include not just physical health but emotional, familial, and financial wellbeing, among other factors. (More here.)

Allowing anyone (including abusers) to purchase abortion pills over the counter - no physician oversight required

Requiring abortions to be taxpayer funded

Again, when voters learn about these impacts, they oppose Issue 1. Even pro-choice voters want common sense abortion regulation.

[reasonsforhope]

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill Wednesday repealing the state's nearly century-old abortion ban.

Last month, the state's House and Senate passed HB 4006, a single-sentence bill, which revokes the 1931 law that criminalized abortion.

Specifically, the bill repealed Section 750.14, which makes it a felony -- punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000 -- to administer drugs that induce a miscarriage unless the mother's life is in danger.

It also repealed Section 750.15, which makes it a misdemeanor to advertise, publish or sell "any pills, powder, drugs or combination of drugs" that can cause an abortion.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, questions remained about whether or not the 1931 law would be put back in place...

A Michigan state judge ruled in September that the ban is unconstitutional, barring any state prosecutors from enforcing it.

Two months later, in the November mid-term elections, Michiganders voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would add protections for reproductive rights...

The amendment defines reproductive freedom as "the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management and infertility care." ...

Whitmer has openly expressed her support for abortion access in and out of Michigan and signed an executive order in July refusing to extradite women who come to Michigan from other states seeking abortion and refusing to extradite providers for offering the procedure.

"In November, Michiganders sent a clear message: we deserve to make our own decisions about own bodies," Whitmer said in a statement provided to ABC News. "Today, we are coming together to repeal our extreme 1931 law banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and criminalizing nurses and doctors for doing their jobs."

-via ABC News, 4/5/23

[tomorrowusa]

Bad news and good news out of Ron DeSantis's Florida.

The Florida Supreme Court will allow a new 6-week abortion ban to take effect in May. BUT the court also approved a ballot initiative for November which would restore reproductive freedom in the state.

Floridians will be able to vote on abortion protections this fall, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Monday—a win celebrated by the state’s Democrats despite the court, in a separate case, also paving the way for a law to take effect that will ban all abortions after six weeks. That six-week abortion ban, passed by Florida’s Republican-majority legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, will go into effect on May 1. That measure can be undone by voters come November, however. The court’s decision is expected to reverberate across Florida and the southeast. A privacy protection clause in the Florida constitution had allowed the Sunshine State to enjoy abortion access up to 15 weeks despite DeSantis being at the helm—access that women relied upon in nearby states like Alabama and Mississippi, where abortion is outright banned, and in Georgia and South Carolina, which have laws similar to Florida’s soon-to-be-active six-week ban.

DeSantis appointed most of the Florida Supreme Court justices. Another reason why we should pay more attention to state government – regardless of state.

Florida’s Supreme Court, which had five of its seven justices appointed by DeSantis, ruled in favor of the state on Monday, 6-1. Now, Florida women will often be barred from having an abortion before many realize they’re even pregnant.

The court approval of the upcoming referendum, actually a Florida constitution amendment called Amendment 4 on the 2024 ballot, was narrow.

That amendment, if it received at least 60 percent of votes in favor of it, would significantly protect abortion access in Florida. Its text reads, in part, that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before fetal viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” Viability is estimated to be around six months of pregnancy. The Florida Supreme Court voted 4-3 in favor of approving the amendment to reach the ballot—a tight victory for abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood, which has championed the proposed amendment.

60% is a relatively high bar. But Kansas, arguably more conservative than Florida, had an abortion referendum in 2022 in which the reproductive freedom side got 59.16% of the vote; the Kansas election required just a simple majority but the final result exceeded that by almost 10%.

The necessary 60% for the Florida reproductive freedom amendment required in Florida won't be a cake walk but it is quite doable.

As many as 11 states could have reproductive freedom on the ballot as referendums this year.

Where abortion rights could be on the ballot this fall

^^^ Just to clarify: New York already offers strong reproductive legal protections. The upcoming referendum, if passed, would place freedom of choice into the NY constitution. It doesn't get more secure than that in state law.

[haggishlyhagging]

The reproductive function of a woman is the only innate function which distinguishes women from men. It is the critical distinction upon which all inequities toward women are grounded. It is, therefore, crucial for women to understand clearly what the nature of this function is, how it is to be defined, and in what relationship the reproductive function stands to a woman.

The reproductive function is a special ability, capacity, or talent held by women. This function is a property which determines their womanhood. The distinction between this function and the usual sense of property is that the latter is static, or primarily spatial, while the former is operational, or exists over time. The reproductive function has the status of property because of its definitive nature.

. . .

The Constitution of the United States, in the Fourteenth Amendment, clearly protects the life, liberty, and property of every person. Any legislation interfering in any way with any woman's self-determination of her reproductive process is clearly unconstitutional. It would interfere with her life by interfering with her person; it would interfere with her liberty by interfering with her freedom of choice as regards her own person; it would interfere with her property since her reproductive process constitutes, in the most integral and strictest sense, her property.

-Ti-Grace Atkinson, Amazon Odyssey

[thepro-lifemovement]

Just a reminder to pray for Ohio tomorrow!

I had to look it up and for those who don't know:

If approved, the amendment, titled "The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety," would protect any person or entity that helps a patient receive reproductive medical treatment and prohibit Ohio from "directly or indirectly burdening, penalizing or prohibiting abortion" before viability, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. The proposal allows the state to ban abortion after viability, except when it is considered necessary to protect the life and health of the mother. 

So Issue 1 will allow abortions up until 22-24 weeks. For those in Ohio, make sure you vote against this. Let's hope the state citizens don't let this pass.

[dykefaggotry]

I'm being so serious rn but if you live in Michigan, California, Vermont, Kentucky, or Montana you should be going out and voting on November 8th, 2022 if you are of age and able to

all of these states have abortion related bills on the ballot.

California:

Proposition 1. This is an ammendment to the State Constitution that would prohibit the state from interfering in reproductive rights, including abortion.

Michigan:

Proposition 3. Similar to California, this would ammend the Michigan Constitution to protect reproductive freedom, including abortion. There's also a 1931 ban on abortion that the block on is being repealed in court and this ammendment would stop that.

Vermont:

Article 22/Proposal 5. Similar to the above, this amends the Vermont Constitution to establish an individual right to reproductive autonomy.

Kentucky:

Constitutional Amendment 2. Unlike the others, this is one to vote no on. Abortion is already illegal in Kentucky, but this would make it far more difficult to ever make it legal again as it declares that nothing in the Kentucky Constitution would protect abortion/reproductive rights.

Montana:

LR-131. Now for Montana, abortion remains legal. However, this bill if passed would essentially deem a fetus/embryo a legal person and make it a criminal offense to not attempt to save it if it survives an abortion. Not exactly as dire as the other states, but still fucked up and a slippery slope to other such laws.

more info on the first 4

more info on the montana bill

"but but voting doesn't work and it's a tool of oppression and-" listen i really don't care if you vote for the president or not in 2024 and idc if you think local elections don't matter, things like this (local proposals) matter. this is a small thing you can do to protect reproductive rights for anyone that has the ability to get pregnant. please do so. the worst thing that happens is you vote and it doesn't matter but that's going to happen if you don't vote anyway so literally what is it hurting? best outcome is you save the lives/mental health of a shitton of people. it's not a hard choice.

[magicalgirlagency]

Why do you always gotta say "or the internet will die forever" and stuff? Ain't that doomer behavior?

Well yes, but actually no.

It's just that I'm trying to get people to wake up and spread the word much, much faster; I mean, the USA wants to ban TikTok because a vocal group of people is using it to raise pro-Palestine awareness, this is just the beginning.

Oh, and before anyone says "Just use VPNs!", the US is also pushing another law to criminalize VPN usage where you could end up in jail for 20 years, as well as pay a $1million fine for your release, so it's useless to dance around the restrictions.

They blab about how much they cherish freedom of speech, but are actively attempting to silence others in the same breath and even willing to violate its own amendment to get even more minorities murdered.

This wouldn't be a problem if a crushing majority of the internet weren't US-based/centralized; even if you aren't from the United States, this draconian bill WILL majorly and totally affect you in one way or another.

And I would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that I will NOT answer any more asks until I see more people reblogging the previous post. If you guys can interact with me, than you certainly can reblog/share the post informing of KOSA's threat (however, I did have programmed a post for March 22nd, because while I am scared for this blog's survival, I also wanna know if the crisis has been adverted).

So, I won't say it again: If you guys don't spread the word, this blog, as well as other blogs within this platform, and many other social networks, websites of informative/educational nature (LGBTQ+ subjects, pro-Palestine, abortion/reproductive healthcare, etc.) and even fandom-related spaces...

...WILL DIE.

EDIT: It's sweet that you guys are reblogging this ask of mine, but shouldn't you be reblogging THIS LINK DOWN HERE INSTEAD?

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“Women are not without electoral or political power.”

April 3, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

APR 03, 2024

President Biden issued a statement on Tuesday condemning a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that effectively institutes a six-week abortion ban. The state supreme court’s decision overruled a 35-year-old precedent recognizing that Florida’s constitution protected reproductive liberty. Biden’s statement said, in part,

[The decision] will likely trigger Governor DeSantis’ even more extreme law that would prevent women from accessing care before many even know they are pregnant. It is outrageous. These extreme laws take away women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions and threaten physicians with jail time simply for providing the medical care that they were trained to provide. Vice President Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose, including in Florida, where voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard in support of a reproductive freedom ballot initiative this November. We . . . continue to call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade in every state.

As President Biden noted, the six-week abortion ban is effectively on the ballot in Florida in November, when Floridians will have the opportunity to enshrine reproductive liberty in the Florida constitution. Public support for the six-week ban is in the low 20% range.

The text of the proposed constitutional amendment (called “Amendment 4”) reads as follows:

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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

Under Florida’s law governing constitutional amendments, Amendment 4 must garner at least 60% of the vote to pass. Although that is a high bar, it is not impossible. Other initiatives have surpassed the 60% threshold (approving medical marijuana and requiring parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion).

As explained in an article on Substack by MCIMAPS, Floridians have reason to hope that Amendment 4 will pass by the 60% threshold in November. See MCIMAPS Report, Abortion and Weed will be on the Florida Ballot in 2024 (substack.com).

Will Amendment 4's presence help President Biden and other Democrats' chances on the Florida ballot in November?

Possibly, even probably.

First, because of the 60% threshold, supporters of Amendment 4 will have every incentive to drive massive turnout.

Second, supporters of a constitutional initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana will also drive turnout in November.

Third, as noted in an analysis by Mark Joseph Stern, the justices on the Florida Supreme Court indicated in Tuesday’s opinion that they favor the “fetal personhood” doctrine, which would outlaw abortion (and contraception) in Florida at every stage of pregnancy from the moment of conception. See Mark Joseph Stern in Slate, The threat lurking behind Florida’s November abortion vote. If Amendment 4 fails to pass, the six-week ban will likely turn into a total prohibition on abortion. When Florida voters realize the additional implications of failure to pass Amendment 4, turnout should be massive.

Finally, Senator Rick Scott is up for re-election in November. Rick Scott supports the six-week ban (“If I was still governor, I would sign the bill.”) His position on abortion is based on his belief that life begins at conception, a position that aligns with the fetal personhood movement in Florida.

There is reason to believe that Senator Rick Scott is vulnerable. See The Hill, (3/5/24), Scott narrowly leads Mucarsel-Powell in Florida Senate race: Poll. Rick Scott will be forced to run on a six-week abortion ban and the fetal personhood doctrine—positions that are highly unpopular in Florida.

The Biden administration is right to say that Florida is “winnable” for Democrats. Although the ruling by the Florida Supreme Court will impose hardship on thousands of women in the next seven months, the anti-choice extremists have overreached to the point they are prompting a national backlash.

In late-breaking news on Tuesday, it appears pro-choice activists have secured enough signatures to place a pro-choice constitutional amendment on Arizona’s ballot in November. See Arizona Likely To Join Growing Group Of States With Abortion Ballot Initiatives | Talking Points Memo. The group Arizona for Abortion Access has collected more than 506,000 signatures; only 383,923 are required to place the measure on the ballot.

Let’s make Justice Alito regret his attempt to patronize women with his snide statement in Dobbs, “Women are not without electoral or political power.” No, they are not. Nor are their partners, parents, siblings, friends, and fellow citizens. The reactionary anti-choice movement is about to find out just how much electoral power they have.