US President Joe Biden vigorously endorsed the women’s reproductive rights during visit to Florida on Tuesday and expressed confidence that the state’s voters They will know how to protect them in the referendum of November.
In a speech to approximately 200 guests at Hillsborough Community College in TampaBiden addressed the upcoming vote on protecting abortion access in the state, issue that will be included on the November ballot.
The Democrat considered a new state law in Florida that will prohibit the abortion from the sixth week pregnancy starting May 1.
Access to pregnancy termination should not depend on a person’s geographic location, Biden said, emphasizing that these are fundamental rights of women.
When speaking about the upcoming presidential elections, he warned of the possible consequences of a second term for former President Donald Trump, which in his opinion could lead to a national ban on abortion.
However, he stated that he would veto any legislative initiative in that regard if he continued in office.
Biden also pointed to existing restrictions in Florida and other states, where a third of women are under some form of limitations on access to safe termination of unwanted pregnancies.
It highlighted cases of women who must travel long distances to access basic medical services and doctors who face legal threats for providing care against state laws.
The United States Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, revoked the federal protections established by the case of Roe vs. Wade in June 2022allowing states to legislate on abortion.
This has led to increased tensions over the issue, especially in conservative territories, and has become a central point in the current election campaign.
The president emphasized the importance of the vote in November, where Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion.
After the speech, Biden participated in a more informal event with Nikki Fried, leader of the Florida Democratic Party, and other attendees, where he highlighted the importance of voter turnout and called Florida a “play” state in the November election .
Last April 1 a Florida Supreme Court decision paved the way for the ban on abortion at six weeks of gestation to go into effect in the state, but will allow Floridians to vote in November on the issue.
The body voted on Monday in favor of maintaining the current ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation in Florida (approved in 2022), but this implied the activation of a measure promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2023 that prohibits interruption of pregnancy after six weeks.
This law will go into effect within 30 days and only includes exceptions for rape, incest and endangering the life of the mother.
Despite this, in a separate ruling the court also authorized the drafting of a proposed state constitutional amendment that would protect the right to abortion in Florida and that could be voted on next November.
This initiative allows the issue to enter the ballot as a Fourth Amendment in November, when voters could overturn this Monday’s ruling, which makes Florida one of the most restrictive states in the United States regarding abortion.
Constitutional amendments in the state need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved.
