Key Takeaways
Nearly one in five (18%) reproductive age women in Florida say they have had an abortion. Similar shares of Republican (20%) and Democratic (19%) women report having an abortion.
One in ten (10%) reproductive age women in Florida know someone, including themselves, who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned and over a third (34%) of women would not know where they could get an abortion or find the information if they wanted or needed one.
Six in ten women of reproductive age in Florida are concerned that they or someone close to them would not be able to get an abortion if it was needed to preserve their life or health (60%) and that abortion bans may affect the safety of a potential future pregnancy for themselves or someone close to them, such as a family or close friend (61%).
Two-thirds (65%) of reproductive age women in Florida have heard of medication abortion. Only one in five (18%) are aware it is still legal in their state and one in ten (9%) are aware they could access pills online if they wanted or needed them.
A third (34%) of reproductive age women in Florida say they would not know where they could get an abortion nor where to find the information about getting one if they wanted or needed an abortion.
Nearly three in four (72%) reproductive age women in Florida think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, including the majority of Republican (51%) and Democratic (86%) women.
Two-thirds (67%) support a nationwide right to abortion, including large shares of Republican (49%) and Democratic (79%) women. Over half (57%) oppose a nationwide ban on abortion at 15 weeks and nearly seven in ten (69%) oppose leaving it up to the states to decide whether abortion is legal or not in each state. The majority of Republican (54%) and Democratic (79%) women oppose leaving it up to the states.
Introduction
Abortion is a key issue in the upcoming 2024 election and voters in up to 11 states across the U.S. may have an opportunity to vote on abortion-related ballot measures. On May 1, 2024, Florida’s 6-week abortion ban went into effect, limiting abortion before many women know they are pregnant and restricting access for women who were traveling to Florida to access abortion from across the South. This November, Florida voters will have an opportunity to vote on a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would protect the right to abortion up to viability (around 24 weeks of pregnancy) and when necessary, after that point to safeguard the pregnant person’s health.
This brief presents findings from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey for 512 reproductive age women in Florida to provide state representative estimates of women’s experiences with and views on abortion among women in the state. The survey was fielded from May 13 to June 18, 2024, before Biden withdrew from the presidential race. While the survey asked about many topics related to women’s experiences around a broad set of health topics, this brief focuses on women’s experiences and knowledge around abortion in Florida. An analysis of the findings for women in the United States and also in Arizona are also available. See the methodology section for detailed definitions, sampling design, and margins of sampling error.
The findings in this brief are focused on a state-representative sample of 512 reproductive age (18-49 years old) women in Florida (Figure 1). Findings for White and Hispanic women are presented where there was a large enough share to report on with nearly a third (31%) of reproductive age women in Florida identifying as Hispanic and 45% as non-Hispanic White. Over four in ten (41%) reproductive age women in Florida have incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), which is $29,160 in 2024. Nearly half (46%) of reproductive age women in Florida are Democrats or Democrat-leaning, while 35% are Republican or Republican-leaning, and 19% are independents. These demographics are similar to the U.S. demographics overall, aside from race/ethnicity, where 21% are Hispanic and 54% as non-Hispanic White.
Findings
Women’s Experiences with Abortion
Nearly one in five reproductive age women in Florida report they have ever had an abortion (Figure 2). Similar shares of women across income and party ID report having had an abortion. Smaller shares of women who identify as pro-life say they have had an abortion compared to women who identify as pro-choice.
Among those who say they have wanted or needed an abortion, 14% say they were unable get one (3% among all reproductive age women). Among the reasons women cite for not getting an abortion include not being able to afford it, being too far along, not being in a position to care for a child and being pro-life or having religious reasons.
One in ten (10%) women in Florida know someone, including themselves, who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned, similar to the U.S. share (8%) (Figure 3). Larger shares of Democratic women say they know someone, including themselves, who has had difficulty getting an abortion compared to Republican women (15% vs. 5%).
When asked about ease or difficulty accessing abortion services in Florida, nearly half (48%) say abortion services are difficult to access, and another 42% say they don’t know (Figure 4). Larger shares of Democratic women (60%) and those who identify as pro-choice (59%) say it is difficult to access these services compared to Republican women (34%) and those who identify as pro-life (23%). When the survey was fielded, Florida had just instituted a 6-week LMP abortion ban after having a 15-week ban in place since 2022.
The majority of women in Florida are concerned about the impact of abortion restrictions on health and safety for themselves and loved ones. Florida currently limits abortions to 6-weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for life, physical health, rape/incest, and lethal fetal anomalies after that gestational limit. Six in ten reproductive age women in Florida say they are concerned (60%) they or someone close to them would not be able to get an abortion if it was needed to preserve their life or health, including a third (35%) who say they are very concerned (Figure 5). Nearly three in four Hispanic women (72%) and women who identify as pro-choice (75%), as well as eight in ten (81%) Democratic women are concerned.
On the Ballot: Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative
Florida Amendment 4, a citizen-initiated ballot measure, will appear on the November 2024 ballot in Florida. Abortion access is currently limited to the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, but a “yes” vote in the election will support the establishment of a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability (around 24 weeks of pregnancy) or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. It will need 60% of Florida voters to vote “yes” in order to pass.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of reproductive age women in Florida say they are concerned about the impact abortion bans may have on the safety of a potential future pregnancy for themselves or someone close to them (Figure 6). Seven in ten Hispanic women (71%), Democratic women (78%), and women who identify as pro-choice (76%) are concerned compared to 58% of White women, 44% of Republican women, and 29% of women who identify as pro-life.
. About one in five (19%) reproductive age women in Florida have changed their contraceptive practices as a result of the overturning Roe v. Wade. Women report either obtaining emergency contraception to have on hand, having a procedure for permanent birth control, switching to a more effective method of birth control, or starting using birth control since the overturning of Roe v. Wade (Figure 7). One in four (26%) reproductive age women with low incomes (below 200% of the FPL) report taking one of these actions, double the rate of women with higher incomes (13%) (data not shown). Women with low incomes report getting emergency contraception at more than twice the rate of women with higher incomes (11% vs. 4%) (data not shown).
Awareness of Abortion Availability and Policy
Many women reproductive age women in Florida are unsure about the status of abortion availability in the state. When this survey was fielded, Florida’s 6-week LMP ban had recently taken effect. Four in ten women in Florida (40%) correctly describe the status of abortion in Florida as available but limited to earlier in pregnancy (Figure 8). Nearly a quarter (24%) of women describe abortion as generally unavailable, with few exceptions, which for many is an accurate description of a 6-week ban. Another three in ten (29%) are not sure of the status of abortion in Florida and 7% incorrectly respond that abortion is available with few or no restrictions. About four in ten women with lower incomes (39%) and women who identify as pro-life (38%) are not sure of the status of abortion in Florida compared to 17% of women with higher incomes and 25% of women who identify as pro-life.
A third (34%) of reproductive age women in Florida say they would not know where they could get an abortion nor where to find the information about getting one if they wanted or needed an abortion in the near future (Figure 9). Websites like Plan C , AbortionFinder and ineedana.com, identify the nearest online and bricks-and-mortar abortion providers, as well as funding assistance. These websites also identify how people can find medication abortion pills online.
Two-thirds (65%) of women of reproductive age in Florida have heard of medication abortion, with awareness highest among White women, those with higher incomes and Democrats (Figure 10). The overall share of reproductive age women in Florida who have heard of medication abortion is similar to the overall share across the U.S (67%).
Although medication abortion is a legal option in Florida for abortions up to six weeks of pregnancy, only one in five (18%) reproductive age women are aware that it is the case. A larger share of women who identify as pro-choice are aware compared to women who identify as pro-life (21% vs. 14%) (Figure 11).
Few are aware of the availability of medication abortion pills online. In Florida, medication abortion is permitted up to six weeks of pregnancy, but only from an in-person clinic. The law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy also prohibits providers from using telehealth to offer abortion services, requiring that physicians dispense medication abortion pills to their patients in person. There are websites, however, such as Plan C, ineedana, or AbortionFinder, that provide information for people seeking to buy medication abortion pills online and have them sent to Florida. However, awareness of these online services is low. Only one in ten (9%) reproductive age women in Florida are aware that someone could get medication abortion pills online if they wanted or needed them (Figure 12). Awareness is similarly low across age, race/ethnicity, income, party ID, and people’s views on abortion.
Opinions on Abortion Policy
Seven in ten (72%) of reproductive age women living in Florida think abortion should be legal in all or most cases (Figure 13). Notably, half of reproductive age women who are Republican in the state say they believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Even among women who say they are “pro-life, one in four believe abortion should be legal in most cases. Nearly three in four women who identify as pro-life (73%), and half (48%) of Republican women think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.
Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, there have been calls to establish a nationwide right to abortion, which is supported by two-thirds of reproductive age women in Florida. Not surprisingly, higher shares of Democratic women in Florida support a national guarantee of abortion rights compared to Republican women (79% vs. 49%) and larger shares of women who identify as pro-choice compared to pro-life (83% vs. 30%) (Figure 14). The majority of Hispanic and White women in Florida, as well as women across incomes, support a law guaranteeing a nationwide right to abortion.
Support for a nationwide ban on abortion at 15 weeks is weak in Florida. Early in the campaign, Former President Trump said he would consider supporting a national 15 or 16-week ban on abortion, but more recently has said he supports leaving abortion policy to states, which allows full bans and gestational restrictions to stay in effect. While a higher share of Republican women (60%) and women who identify as pro-life (68%) would support it, over half (57%) of reproductive age women in Florida oppose a law establishing a nationwide ban on abortion at 15 weeks (Figure 15).
Over two-thirds (69%) of women in Florida oppose leaving it up to the states to decide the legality of abortion, a policy that has been supported by former President Donald Trump (Figure 16). This policy, however, is somewhat or strongly supported by 54% of reproductive age Republican women. Larger shares of women who identify as pro-life support leaving it up to the states compared to women who identify as pro-choice (57% vs. 19%).
After six months of living with a highly restrictive abortion law that limits abortion access to the first six weeks of pregnancy, voters will have an opportunity to cast a vote regarding whether the right to abortion up to viability will be enshrined in their state constitution. If the amendment gets the support of 60 percent of voters, it will reverse the current 6-week ban and protect abortion rights until the point of viability, considered to be about 24 weeks.
