Pressure mounts on Florida
The Manatee County Commission was considering a plan to explore banning abortions, and Carol Whitmore seemed to be a likely ‘‘yes’’ vote. She is a longtime Republican, serving on a mostly Republican board in a county that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
But when it was her turn to speak during deliberations last month, Whitmore publicly revealed an experience she’d only talked about in private: she had an abortion in 1973, the year Roe v Wade was decided. She was a teenager, pregnant from a nonconsensual relationship, and an aunt had given her the $150 needed for the procedure after her parents kicked her out.
‘‘Do I regret it? Yes,’’ she says. ‘‘Do I still believe women should be pro-choice? Yes.’’
Whitmore voted against the plan, but her colleagues approved it in a 4-3 vote.
The commission’s decision was largely symbolic. There are no abortion clinics in Manatee County, and nobody has announced plans to open one. But in considering moves towards prohibition, it is joining the effort to make Florida the next state to implement an abortion ban.
The path to a ban could be bumpy. Like Whitmore, many Republican leaders aren’t sold on a Texas-style law. Republican Governor Ron Desantis says he is against abortion, but has been non-committal on proposed abortion bans in Florida.
The political dynamics of Manatee County highlight the predicament Desantis faces on abortion rights: how to win reelection to the governor’s office in 2022 by appealing to moderate Florida voters, including pro-abortion Republicans, while also appealing to the conservative Republican base he would need for a successful presidential run in 2024.
Supporters of the Texas law say they’re confident Desantis will help them win the battle they’ve been fighting for decades.
In Florida, abortions are legal up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, and longer if lifethreatening conditions to the mother are present. Over the years, however, antiabortion lawmakers have successfully layered on other requirements.
Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University, says voters are more liberal on abortion rights than in states such as Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. That poses a dilemma for Desantis.
‘‘Are you going to bet that your base will back you if you pass a ban like that, or are you worried that there’s going to be a backlash if you do something that’s out of step with public opinion in the state?’’
She says polling in Florida shows a slim majority of voters favour maintaining access to abortions. ‘‘Desantis has long had ambitions beyond the governor’s mansion. He’s reading the room to see how these more sweeping measures will play out.’’
Marcela Howell, founder and director of
human rights group In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, agrees the direction Florida goes on abortion rights depends on Desantis and his political ambitions.
‘‘This really is about the governor trying to make sure another governor, Greg Abbott in Texas, doesn’t get an advantage over him in a presidential primary. If he hopes to run against Abbott . . . he’s going to go as far right as he possibly can. Florida isn’t quite as conservative as Texas, and there may be some serious pushback.’’ –