Morning Briefing

Tampa Bay Times: Florida To Get 6-Week Abortion Ban, But Abortion Access Will Be On 2024 Ballot

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the state’s Constitution does not protect access to abortion, letting the current 15-week ban stand and triggering a stricter six-week ban. That six-week ban is now set to take effect in 30 days. But the court separately on Monday gave the OK for an amendment to go on November’s ballot that would protect abortion. (Ellenbogen, 4/1)

The Hill: Florida’s Abortion Law Will Change: Here’s When

A six-week ban on abortion, passed last year but paused due to the state Supreme Court’s case, will go into effect May 1. That change is set to bring Florida in line with other restrictive states in the Deep South, severely limiting access to abortion for the whole region. ... Adding abortion protections to the Florida ballot could drive voter turnout, as Democrats hope to turn the Sunshine State purple once again after years of strong performance by Republicans. The Biden campaign described the state as “winnable” on Monday, citing the abortion ballot measure. (Robertson, 4/1)

AP: Ohio Law Banning Nearly All Abortions Now Invalid After Referendum, Attorney General Says

A 2019 law banning most abortions in Ohio is unconstitutional following an abortion referendum last year, the state’s Republican attorney general said in a court filing Monday. The filing comes after abortion clinics asked a Hamilton County judge to throw out the law since Ohio voters decided to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution last November. (Hendrickson, 4/1)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Lawmakers Approve Bill Criminalizing Abortion Coercion

Backed by a Republican majority, Kansas lawmakers approved legislation Monday making it illegal to coerce a woman into getting an abortion. GOP legislators sidestepped efforts from Democrats to criminalize all forms of reproductive coercion arguing the language would reinforce Kansas’ existing protections for abortion rights. The bill, which the Kansas House approved with a near-veto-proof majority Monday roughly along party lines, now heads to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk. The Kansas Senate passed the measure last week. (Barackman and Bernard, 4/1)

The Montana Supreme Court released its revised ballot language on Monday to describe a constitutional abortion rights amendment that voters may consider this fall, rejecting a version drafted last week by Attorney General Austin Knudsen. The unanimous ruling by six justices moves the initiative’s supporters, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, closer to launching a massive signature-gathering campaign that must be completed before a June deadline. (Silvers, 4/1)

KFF Health News: California Universities Are Required To Offer Abortion Pills. Many Just Don't Mention It 

When Deanna Gomez found out she was pregnant in September 2023, she felt the timing couldn’t have been worse. The college senior at California State University-San Bernardino worked 60 hours a week at two jobs. She used birth control. Motherhood was not in the plan. Not yet. “I grew up poor. And I don’t want that for my children, like, ever,” she said. She wanted a medication abortion. (Fortiér and Guzman-Lopez, 4/2)

NBC News: Michigan Ends Ban On Surrogacy Contracts

Alex Kamer considers herself lucky — she didn’t have to fight a legal battle for the parental rights to her biological children. Kamer and her husband, Alan Kamer, grew their family via surrogates; their younger son was born in June. But the couple lives in Michigan, where a 1988 law had banned the use of surrogacy contracts and compensated surrogacy. That had left uncertainty about what could happen once the baby was born last year. Michigan was the last state in the country with such a law on its books, and for more than 30 years, those who violated it could, in extreme cases, face jail time. (Vitali, 4/1)