Huge Jump in Support for Florida Amendment

7.30.24

Click to skip ahead: In Stats & Studies, more women are self-managing abortions, many unsafely. In All About Iowa, the reaction to the country’s latest abortion ban. In 2024 news, Kamala Harris is going all in on abortion rights. Ballot Measure Updates looks at Florida, New York and Arizona. In the States, some quick hits. In the Nation, conservative media is attacking Pete Buttigieg over something he said about abortion.

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Stats & Studies

New research shows that the percentage of people self-managing their abortions has risen sharply since the end of Roe. The study, published in JAMA Network, found that approximately 5% of women of reproductive age attempted to end their own pregnancies before Roe was overturned. Now that number is at 7%.

Researchers from Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at University of California, San Francisco noted an increase in those self-sourcing abortion medication, with requests to one telemedicine service more than doubling since 2022. And while abortion pills and telemedicine have obviously made a huge and positive impact on Americans’ ability to get care in spite of state bans, the study also showed a marked increase in people trying to end their pregnancies in unsafe ways.

Some of the most common methods of self-managed abortion in 2023 were herbs, hitting themselves in the stomach, lifting heavy things, or using alcohol and drugs. When asked why, reasons ranged from the cost of abortion to being scared of clinic protesters.

Lead author and epidemiologist Lauren Ralph says, “Our data shows that making abortion more difficult to access is not going to mean that people want or need an abortion less frequently.”

Obviously, the other concern that comes to my mind is that people will be less likely to seek out help if self-managing an abortion goes wrong, fearing criminalization. (Which is understandable.) Just another reason it’s so important that abortion isn’t only legal—but affordable, accessible, and patient-centered.

For more abortion research, visit ANSIRH.

All About Iowa

Iowa’s abortion ban took effect yesterday, destroying access in the state and throughout the region. The vast majority of Iowans—over 60%—want abortion to be legal in all or most cases.

Neighboring pro-choice states are expecting an influx of Iowa abortion-seekers: Illinois, for example, has already been seeing a huge increase in out-of-state patients. Jennifer Welch, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, says, “we are actively preparing for Iowans fleeing their home state in search of care.”

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin echoed the sentiment, saying, “We're ready to provide care for anyone who looks to come to Wisconsin to receive the health care that they need.” In Minnesota, Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of Whole Woman’s Health, says, “If you’re afraid, come to Minnesota…We’ve got you.” Hearing all of that support is so heartening—but so depressing that it’s necessary.

Naturally, Republicans in the state are trying to paint the ban as reasonable—that means drawing focus to the law’s so-called exceptions. Iowa Sen. Amy Sinclair, for example, released a statement saying, “This commonsense law recognizes important exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.” But as I’ve outlined so many times before—that’s just not true. The ban’s exceptions were written to be impossible to use, and studies show that states with exceptions don’t have a higher number of abortions than those without them.

The editorial board of the Des Moines Register pointed that out this week, reporting that the ban’s language around what constitutes a fatal fetal abnormality and medical emergency are deliberately vague. I really wish that when other outlets covered the Iowa ban, they’d point all this out as well. There’s so much coverage right now that cites ‘exceptions’ without making clear how difficult these exemptions are to use.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa Democrats are expected to make November very much about abortion rights, with state Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart describing the new ban as "draconian.”

“Essentially, what…Republicans have done is practice medicine without a license. They think that government, not women, know what’s best for themselves and for their families.”

The ban is taking center stage in national politics, too. Vice President Kamala Harris posted about the law on her social media accounts, calling it a “another Trump Abortion Ban.” She pointed out that 1 in 3 American women live in a state with an abortion ban, but promised that “in November, we will stop Trump’s extreme abortion bans at the ballot box.”

Meanwhile, Trump went on a tear about how “incredibly well” state abortion bans are going just a day before Iowa’s law took effect. Rolling Stone reports that at a rally this Sunday, Trump bragged, “An issue that was tearing our country apart for years and years is coming to an end, and people are coming together.”

Remember, the best way to help Iowans is by donating to the Iowa Abortion Access Fund. For more about the Iowa abortion ban, read AED’s explainer here or watch the TikTok I posted yesterday.

2024

Harris didn’t just post about Iowa’s abortion ban yesterday; she also called for a “week of action” on the issue. The vice president’s campaign announced a series of events being held this week in battleground states that will drive home just how urgent the election is for abortion rights.

In addition to second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Reproductive Freedom for All president Mini Timmaraju, other speakers will include Ryan Hamilton, the Texas man whose wife was denied miscarriage care, and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky, whose personal story brought home reelection for Gov. Andy Beshear.

Abortion was always going to be a central part of the presidential campaign, but with Harris as the presumptive nominee, the issue has become exponentially more important. Law professor Greer Donley tells The Guardian, “If Harris wins this election, I think it would be because of abortion bans and because of Dobbs.”

It’s clear Republicans think the same. Pollster Mike Bocian tells the Wall Street Journal that Republicans “want to talk about it as little as possible.” (Remember, the word ‘abortion’ wasn’t uttered once at the Republican National Convention.)

Trump and JD Vance can’t avoid the issue, but they’re doing their best to pretend as if they’re ‘reasonable’ on the issue. A spokesperson for Vance told the WSJ that the vice presidential candidate agrees with President Trump that “each state should have the chance to individually set their own abortion laws.”

Trump repeated that stance at a rally this weekend, hitting on the idea that he gave the issue back “to the people.” This has become a common refrain among Republicans, who want to give voters the impression that Americans actually want abortion bans. We know how far from the truth that is.

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If you missed my Project 2025 explainer earlier today, make sure to check it out. It tells you everything you need to know about what the conservative plan says about abortion and reproductive rights:

Project 2025 & Abortion

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Ballot Measure Updates

Wow. A new poll out of Florida shows that 69% of voters in the state support Amendment 4, the abortion rights ballot measure. A survey by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) found that support for the pro-choice amendment had increased by seven points since November and that only 23% of voters oppose the pro-choice amendment (8% didn’t know or didn’t want to answer).

That level of support is going to be key, because Florida requires 60% of the vote instead of a simple majority. Anti-abortion activists have been banking on that higher threshold to bring them home a win—something they need desperately. Every time abortion has been on the ballot since Roe was overturned, abortion rights has won. So as you can imagine, anti-abortion morale is pretty low these days. (She said, grinning).

In the meantime, Florida pro-choice activists have petitioned the state Supreme Court to throw out the misleading financial impact statement written by a panel stacked with Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees. The statement, which voters will see, claims that restoring abortion rights will negatively impact the state budget. With November fast approaching, the state only has until the end of the week to respond to their filing.

Language is also at the center of a ballot measure fight in New York, where politicians and activists disagree over including the word ‘abortion’ in the Equal Rights Amendment heading to voters in November. Democrats wrote a letter to the board of elections, pointing out that voters might not understand the critical protections for abortion if the word isn’t included. Still, the board voted yesterday to exclude ‘abortion’ in the ballot summary.

Sasha Ahuja, campaign director of New Yorkers for Equal Rights, was disappointed with the decision. “The board has a mandate to ensure everyday voters can understand what they are voting on, should be clearly reflected and spelled out in the ballot language,” she said.

“Abortion is an essential health care service, and all abortion bans are harmful. Access to abortion allows people to make their own decisions about their bodies and their futures. No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy they don’t want, or to travel out of state and overcome enormous barriers to receive the care they need.” - Arizona abortion provider Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick

In the States

• A judge has ruled that abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy in North Carolina must be performed in hospitals;

• A Pennsylvania Republican has been caught scrubbing anti-abortion views from his website;

• States Newsroom talks to the organizer behind the South Dakota abortion rights ballot measure;

• The Express-News Editorial Board writes that Texas has become a dangerous place to be pregnant;

• And a North Dakota judge has canceled the trial for a legal challenge against the states ban—temporarily at least, while he decides the lawsuit’s fate more broadly.

In the Nation

Don’t miss this piece at Mother Jones from reporter Julianna McShane, who catches something important in the New York Times interview with Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins.

Republicans tricked mainstream media outlets into believing that their national platform was a disappointment to anti-abortion groups because there (supposedly) wasn’t an explicit call for a national abortion ban. But Hawkins makes clear that her group was pleased as punch—namely, over the inclusion of the 14th Amendment, which Republicans will use to give fetuses constitutional personhood protections.

When asked if platform gets the movement closer to her goal of abolishing abortion, Hawkins was unequivocal: “Yes, absolutely. The 14th Amendment is in there.” And as McShane writes, “despite what the Trump campaign may say, it’s groups like Hawkins’ that got us to the post-Roe reality.”

By the way, if Hawkins’ name sounds familiar to you, it’s because her group is open about wanting to ban birth control (something I wish the Times would have asked her about). Abortion, Every Day also caught Hawkins claiming on a podcast that “sexual assault actually helps prevent a lot of pregnancies itself because of your body’s natural response.” So an all-around piece of shit.

In other national news, this is hilarious—and indicative of how desperate Republicans are on abortion rights: Right-wing media has launched an attack against U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who they say “admitted” that abortion frees men “to be sexual degenerates” and ensure that “they do not have to take responsibility for their actions.”  

Here’s what Buttigieg actually said:

“Men are also more free in a country where we have a president who stands up for things like access to abortion care. Men are more free when the leader of the free world and the leader of this country supports access to birth control and to IVF. And certainly men like me, and my husband, are more free when we have a president who supports our freedom to get married to who we love.”

Ah yes, what a monster! These people are ridiculous.

Here’s a nice palate cleanser: “Your Call” at KALW has an epic line-up of abortion experts in their latest episode. Host Rose Aguilar speaks to Amy Littlefield, abortion access correspondent for The Nation; Laurie Bertram Roberts, co-director of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, and Dr. Regina Davis Moss, president of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda:

Quick hits:

• An anti-abortion activists was sentenced to three years in prison for violating the FACE Act;

• Ms. magazine interviews a shield state provider;

• A federal appeals court rejected an effort by a group of Republican-led states to intervene in a mifepristone lawsuit;

• And Dr. Jason Nichols shares his family’s abortion story, writing, “the next time you consider an extreme position on abortion, I would implore you to remember my wife.”