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    • Nearly 30% of Florida women don’t know what abortion restrictions the state has, poll finds • Florida Phoenix
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    Nearly 30% of Florida women don’t know what abortion restrictions the state has, poll finds • Florida Phoenix

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

    Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect three months ago, but 29 percent of women remain unsure whether abortion is legal in the state, according to a new poll by health policy research and news organization KFF.

    Knowing about Florida’s abortion restrictions is critical because voters will decide in November whether to protect access to the procedure until viability (which is about 24 weeks). Lower-income women and those who identify as “pro-life” are less informed about abortion laws, according to a KFF survey of 512 Florida women ages 18 to 49.

    KFF surveyed women from May 13 to June 18, and the six-week abortion ban came into effect on May 1.

    Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life, courtesy of Bell.

    The results are no surprise to Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life, who hopes to turn voters against Amendment 4. The abortion rights proposal requires 60% approval from voters to protect access to the procedure through the state constitution. She recognizes that people may not take the changes to the law as seriously if they are focused on making ends meet.

    There is a lot to do

    “It tells me there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Bell said in a phone interview with Florida Phoenix. “Through our Florida Right to Life educational program, we’re constantly trying to get the word out and expand our database so we can reach more and more people. We in the pro-life community, all pro-life organizations, need to keep working and pushing and telling women the truth about what’s happening in the state of Florida.”

    While PACs on both sides of the Abortion Rights Amendment are raising money, the Florida Access Network is struggling to help people inside and outside of Florida seeking abortions. The organization provides financial assistance, including transportation, housing, food and other expenses.

    FAN has a monthly maximum of about $15,000 to help people pay for their abortion costs, but as of the first week of August, $11,000 had already been paid out, Ginnely Carrasco, FAN’s director of client services, said in a phone interview with Phoenix.

    The lack of education also extends to women’s knowledge of abortion resources. One-third of women in Florida do not know where to get an abortion or where to find information about it, the survey found. The uncertainty rate was higher among Hispanic women (45%).

    “I can confirm that, because that was me. I had mine in 2008 and didn’t know (FAN) existed,” Carrasco said.

    Since Carrasco’s abortion, it has become increasingly difficult to find clinics that perform abortions online, she said, pointing to the proliferation of “crisis pregnancy centers” that offer medical care during pregnancy but not abortions.

    “Since then, so many CPCs, like crisis pregnancy centers, have sprung up that it has become even more difficult for clients to distinguish between a real clinic and one of these crisis pregnancy centers that deliberately mislead people,” she said.

    For both FAN and Florida Right to Life, social media and community engagement play an important role in educating people. Bell said she has visited churches and Republican clubs in cities like Miami and Jacksonville to mobilize voters against Amendment 4.

    The majority of women in Florida support access to abortion

    This chart shows Florida women’s support for abortion access compared to responses from women of childbearing age nationwide. Courtesy of KFF.

    Despite these knowledge gaps, 72 percent of women surveyed said they believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Even 51 percent of Republican women said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

    In Florida, abortion can be performed up to 15 weeks if the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or human trafficking. However, the person seeking the abortion must provide proof that they were a victim of these crimes, such as through police reports. Abortions can be performed after 15 weeks only if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, the pregnant person’s life needs to be saved, or if the pregnancy could affect a major bodily function.

    However, even if patients meet these exceptions, doctors may not be willing to perform an abortion.

    Abortion bans without exceptions are not popular among women in Florida. Among those who identified as pro-lifers, only 24 percent said abortion should be illegal in all cases.

    Bell said she was deeply concerned about the data from the KFF poll showing that women support access to abortion.

    “If you took that same group of people and asked them, ‘Do you believe in abortion during birth?’ If you rephrased the question, ‘Do you believe abortion should be available in the seventh, eighth and ninth months?’ you would change your mind, because that’s what we’ve seen before,” she said.

    “If you turned the question around: ‘Do you think abortion should be funded by taxpayers’ money?’ then the question would be turned around. ‘Do you think parents should not be able to consent to the abortion of minor children?’ then the question would also be turned in our favor.”

    Late abortions are rare

    According to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy accounted for 0.4% of all abortions in the state in 2021.

    Florida covers abortions through Medicaid in cases of life-threatening conditions, rape and incest, as required by federal law. Opponents of Amendment 4, however, claim that its passage would lead to legal battles demanding Medicaid coverage of abortions; one such case is pending in Michigan.

    In addition, the language of the amendment, which seeks to limit government interference in abortion, creates an exception to the law requiring notification of the abortion to a minor’s parent or guardian. However, in Florida, that notification and consent are currently required unless a judge deems the minor mature enough to decide for themselves.

    The poll, and a recent University of North Florida poll showing 69% of Floridians support Amendment 4, make Carrasco optimistic about the outcome in November. But another Florida Atlantic University poll released Wednesday shows Amendment 4 falling short of the 60% threshold with 56% support.

    “I have the feeling that our generation will not allow this to happen, especially not without a fight,” Carrasco said.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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