Repro Shabbat Havdalah at Temple Beth Am

Photo of NCJW members attending the Repro Shabbat Havdalah at Temple Beth Am on February 10, 2024.

In our efforts to impact the State of Florida’s attempt to limit abortion services in Florida, citizens began a Constitutional Amendment Initiative to limit government interference with abortion.  This required a formal Petition to be signed and verified by almost 900,000 voters in the state.

NCJW joined with local synagogues and temples to work on this effort.  Under the amazing leadership of Mindy Aguirre, we manned the entrance to Pinecrest Gardens on Sunday mornings for four months to collect signatures.  Many individuals carried petitions with them throughout the day, asking everyone they met to sign.  By the February deadline, over 1.3 million petitions were collected and verified.

We have accomplished the first level to get this Amendment placed on the November Election Ballot. The road is not easy.  The State filed a suit with the courts and questioned the language of the Petition. (See Below) We are now awaiting the verdict from the State Supreme Court on whether the language is easy to understand and meets the single subject criteria. Stay tuned as we follow this important measure.  If we win in the Supreme Court, we will begin the voter registration drive and begin work to pass this amendment. We will need all of our members to join this effort. Thank you all for your support.

Ballot Summary:   “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.”