Amendment 4 on abortion is key issue for Florida voters on 2024 election ballot
An abortion rights amendment is a key issue on the ballot for Florida voters in the 2024 election.
Voters in the state are being asked to say "yes" or "no" to Amendment 4, which seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and could eliminate Florida's six-week abortion ban – one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation – if it passes. The current ban was enacted in May, nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Amendment 4 is among six ballot measures that propose changes to Florida's constitution.
What is Amendment 4?
Amendment 4, titled "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion," states 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."
The amendment would not affect a current constitutional provision that permits a law requiring parents to be notified before a minor can receive an abortion.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida have urged voters to reject Amendment 4. Many opponents of the amendment have argued that the language of the measure is "too extreme" and vague with its definition of "viability," saying it would allow late-term abortions and endanger pregnant patients.
Supporters have said it would bring back protections lost when Roe v. Wade was overturned. They argued it would help put reproductive healthcare back in the hands of Florida patients and their doctors, saying that politicians should not be allowed to interfere with personal healthcare decisions or prevent medical professionals from treating patients.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its blockbuster decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade and threw abortion policy back to the states. More than a dozen states have since enacted near-total bans on abortion, while it is severely restricted in other states. Among the bans, Florida's law is considered to be among the strictest.
The Republican-controlled state legislature and DeSantis approved the state's six-week ban last year, building upon a 2022 law that banned abortions after 15 weeks. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the 2022 law, which cleared the way for the six-week limit to take effect.
Florida's ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy – before many women know they're pregnant – went into effect in May, nearly two years after the Supreme Court decision.
Since May, many Floridians have fought back and forth about whether to restore abortion access in the state by proposing a change to the state's constitution.