Amendment 4 News – Abortion Rights Protest — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Bob Korn
According to CBS News, Florida voters rejected Amendment 4 in the 2024 election, which means the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks will stay in effect.
At least 60 percent of voters did not support the amendment, which aimed to codify abortion rights in the state constitution.
“This outcome is certainly welcomed by all those who recognize that human life begins at conception and that this is a scientific and biological fact and not merely a religious belief or ideological theory,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who is the Archdiocese of Miami’s spokesperson. “As such the unborn child should be welcomed in life and protected by law.”
Six ballot propositions that called for amendments to Florida’s constitution included Amendment 4.
Amendment 4: What is it?
The fourth amendment, entitled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,” stipulates that “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.”
A present constitutional clause that allows a legislation requiring parents to be informed before a minor can have an abortion would remain unaffected by the proposal.
In order to pass constitutional amendments in Florida, the measure needed 60 percent of voters to pass. A simple majority is required in most states.
The outcome is “a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion organization SBA Pro-Life America, in a statement, complimenting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for spearheading the opposition to the bill.
Voters were urged to reject Amendment 4 by DeSantis and the Florida Republican Party. Many opponents of the amendment claimed that the measure’s wording was “too extreme” and ambiguous in its definition of “viability,” putting pregnant patients at risk and permitting late-term abortions.
Advocates had claimed that it would restore rights that had been taken away after Roe v. Wade was overruled. They said that politicians shouldn’t be able to impede medical professionals from treating patients or meddle in private healthcare decisions, thereby restoring control over reproductive healthcare to Florida people and their physicians.
Following its denial Tuesday evening, the Center of Reproductive Rights’ president and CEO, Nancy Northup, said in a statement that Floridians are “living under an abortion ban they didn’t ask for or don’t want.”
“Most Florida voters expressed their desire to regain their reproductive rights tonight. However, they have to endure the dread, uncertainty, and denial of care brought on by the reversal of Roe because of the high 60% threshold and the state’s disinformation campaign,” she stated. “So too will countless women in the southeastern U.S., which will remain for now a virtual abortion desert.”
The loss solidifies a change in the abortion environment in the South that started in May when the state implemented a six-week ban. As a result, many women from neighboring states with stricter abortion restrictions were no longer able to come to Florida for an abortion, and a significantly higher number of women from the state did so. North Carolina and Virginia, which are hundreds of miles away, are the closest states with less stringent regulations.
Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 Campaign, stated, “The truth is that a minority of Florida voters have decided Amendment 4 will not be adopted because of Florida’s constitution.” “The reality is a majority of Floridians just voted to end Florida’s abortion ban.”
The leadership of the ACLU’s Florida branch said in a statement that the organization is “steadfast” in its resolve to repeal the state’s abortion ban and guarantee that Floridians can receive the treatment they require free from government intervention, whatever Tuesday’s outcomes.
“Despite unprecedented opposition from Governor DeSantis and his allies, who sought to confuse and divide voters and prevent them from even being able to vote on the amendment at all, this movement has sparked a powerful, unbreakable unity that transcends today’s result,” Bacardi Jackson, the executive director, said. “In Florida, the fight for reproductive freedom is more powerful than ever. We are working to protect the rights, dignity, and futures of every individual in our state, and this election is only one part of that effort.”
According to Michelle Morton, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, “the fact that a majority of Floridians backed Amendment 4 sends an undeniable message: we refuse to let our rights be trampled.”
“We will not allow political obstacles to stifle the demands of Floridians throughout this state for the ability to make their own decisions on their bodies. “Everyone affected by Florida’s harsh abortion restrictions has our unwavering support,” she stated. “Our fight is far from over, and we’re more determined than ever to break down these barriers until every Floridian can exercise their fundamental rights with dignity and without government interference.”
“Even though this result may not be what we campaigned for, it has strengthened our resolve. “We’re just getting started, but Floridians came out in force to defend reproductive freedom,” said Sara Latshaw, chair of Floridians Protecting Freedom. “This movement is unstoppable, and we won’t stop until all barriers to justice and self-determination are eliminated. Although we have a setback today, we will go on tomorrow. Until every Floridian has the freedom to govern their own body and their own destiny, we are prepared to fight on, stronger and more united.”
A similar statement was released by the Florida Democratic Party, whose chair Nikki Fried described the defeat of Amendment 4 as a “heartbreaking loss.”
“Though the amendment did not meet the high threshold to pass, the majority of Floridians are still opposed to Florida’s extreme abortion ban and the legislature has an obligation to respect the will of the people and act – repeal this extreme ban,” she stated. “If they don’t, it is up to Congress to restore reproductive freedom nationwide.”
The Supreme Court essentially overturned Roe v. Wade and returned control of abortion policy to the states on June 24, 2022, when it handed down its landmark ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Since then, abortion has been severely restricted in certain states and outright banned in more than a dozen. Florida’s statute is regarded as one of the most stringent of the prohibitions.
The state’s six-week ban was adopted by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled state legislature last year, expanding on a 2022 law that prohibited abortions after 15 weeks. The 2022 statute was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court, allowing the six-week limit to go into force.
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court ruling, Florida’s law prohibiting the majority of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy—before many women are aware that they are pregnant—went into force in May.
Many Floridians have been engaged in a back-and-forth debate since May on whether to amend the state constitution to allow abortions again.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.