Why women in Florida are ‘scared to become pregnant’
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Florida has some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the US, but the lack of reproductive care has had “devastating” impacts on women across the state.
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Read time: 6 mins
In brief…
- Since arriving in Florida to cover the US election, The News Agents have heard more from local people about abortion and reproductive rights than any other issue.
- Democratic Party representative Anna Eskemani says governor Ron DeSantis is forcing his own personal “extreme viewpoints” on the people of Florida.
- Pregnant people also face protesters outside abortion clinics, as well as ‘crisis centres’ which appear to offer reproductive healthcare, but instead try to change minds on abortion.
What’s the story?
Florida was once one of the most liberal states on reproductive rights in the US, but since the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade has become one of its most restrictive.
Since arriving in the “sunshine state” to report on the US election, Lewis Goodall says the topic comes up "again and again" is abortion.
“One issue above all which is shaping politics here is the right to choose, the right for women to have autonomy over their own bodies in the land of the free,” he says.
Republican governor Ron DeSantis is strongly against abortion rights, and in 2023 signed a bill banning abortion after six weeks into Florida law.
It has had "dramatic effects on everyday life" in Florida, and will be voted on alongside a pick for president on 5 November.
If 60% of people in Florida vote to protect abortion in the state, the Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative will be passed, restoring these rights.
Florida has voted Republican since 2012, and polls suggest this will remain the same in 2024.
Roe Vs. Wade, the 1973 constitutional ruling which made abortion access a legal right across all of America, was overturned in 2022 by Supreme Court Justices appointed by Donald Trump during his time in power. Abortion rights are now decided at state level.
Lewis Goodall questions protesters outside an abortion clinic in Florida
How is Florida’s abortion ban affecting women?
Anna Eskemani, Democratic Party member in the Florida House of Representatives describes the impact of overturning Roe Vs. Wade on Florida as "devastating".
She tells The News Agents that it's not only women facing unexpected pregnancies, or healthcare professionals, who have been deeply affected by the crackdown on reproductive healthcare in the state.
"We have women who are scared to become pregnant in Florida with wanted pregnancies because their doctors aren't going to be able to provide them with the nuanced care that every pregnancy requires," she says.
"So the reality is that we're seeing the impact of the six week abortion ban in situations where women want to become parents."
"There are everyday scenarios with women who are seeking to become pregnant, who are picking out names for their children, who are already in this process, and they receive a very difficult diagnosis, or perhaps there is a vulnerability to their own life in the face of their pregnancy.”
Instead of being able to make this private decision themselves, with doctors, or with family, Anna says “the government is inserting itself into the conversation."
She adds that doctors, despite knowing what course of action needs to be taken to save a patient's life, will need to consult with an attorney before carrying out a necessary procedure to ensure they do not lose their licence.
"Doctors are not going to risk it," Anna says.
"They're just going to pass the patient to a different doctor. They're going to maybe send the patient back home to bleed out before they'll provide them with abortion care.
Before entering politics, Anna worked for Planned Parenthood, and has been involved in Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative.
She believes many people will vote for Amendment Four, and refuse to vote for a presidential candidate.
The challenge is overcoming DeSantis’ narrative, who wants to "force" his "extreme viewpoints" on the people of Florida.
That’s why she believes there is more to the war on abortion than simply restricting the bodily autonomy of women. It is also, Anna says, a "litmus test for conservatism", and how far the moral compass can be pushed.
What happens when women in Florida seek out abortions?
Abortion may be legal before six weeks into pregnancies in Florida, but even then, there are major obstacles women face when seeking one out.
And it is not just because of the law.
McKenna Schuler, a staff reporter for Orlando Weekly, spoke to Lewis outside one of two licensed abortion clinics in Orlando. It is swamped by anti-abortion protesters on a daily basis.
“They don't like to be described as protesters because they're trying to help people is how they see it,” Schuler says.
“But this happens every single day outside of this specific abortion clinic. And on weekends it's actually literally a circus because there are a lot of people that travel from outside of Orlando as a family activity, even bringing minors or young people to come out here and protest outside of the clinic.”
This, Schuler explains, can be very intimidating.
She says women are heckled as they go in seeking abortions, as are the people who work there.
Protesters throw anti-abortion materials at women who approach, asking them why they are there, and trying to convince them not to go inside.
“One of the protesters out there compared abortion clinics to concentration camps,” Schuler says.
How else are women discouraged from accessing reproductive care?
If you were to find details online about a Florida-based ‘crisis pregnancy centre’, you might think this was an abortion centre.
Schuler explains that these are often “predatory facilities run by church groups or religious nonprofits that exist solely to convince pregnant people not to seek abortion care or to otherwise offer so-called alternatives to abortion.”
But they frequently pose as actual abortion clinics.
In Florida, there's about 160 crisis pregnancy centres, compared to 50 licensed abortion clinics. About a third of these “fake clinics” receive state taxpayer funds.
Schuler says: “There are a few that have websites where at the very bottom of the website, you'll see in very small print they don't actually offer abortions, but many of them do misleadingly portray themselves as abortion clinics.
“A couple of ways they do that is by using very sophisticated marketing tactics online, or they will specifically choose locations that are near actual abortion clinics to confuse people.
That could lead people to believe that if they go to this facility, they will actually be offered choices. In reality, that's not the case.
What’s The News Agents’ take?
Lewis Goodall says the situation with abortion, and reproductive rights, in Florida is a marker of where politics is heading in the US.
"Abortion casts the darkest pall over the sunshine state, but as big as it is, it is itself part of something even grander," he says.
He describes the situation as "a redesign of social life in the state from the radical right.
"It's a set of ideas which are transforming American life, which could be a harbinger of politics to come – something close to a theocracy in all but name.
"At six weeks, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant. And this law is having deeply weird effects, even for women who want babies."
And while the decision for most US voters on 5 November is simply between Harris and Trump, things are very different when it comes to Florida.
"The big race in Florida isn’t for an office, it’s for a right, a state constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to an abortion into law," he adds.
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