Reproductive rights rally in Miami hopes to solidify Amendment 4 into Florida's constitution
MIAMI — With 50 days before Election Day, one of the biggest things on the Florida ballot is not a candidate but an issue: reproductive rights.
A rally was held at Bayfront Park in Miami on Saturday in favor of Amendment 4, which would solidify the right to an abortion into the state constitution.
Nicole Crooks had an abortion when she was 27 in New York.
"It remains one of the darkest, scariest times of my life," Crooks said.
She said Florida's laws are oppressive and spoke at the rally on Saturday.
"I want the option and I think it's important that a woman determines what goes on with her life her body," Crooks said.
Governor Ron DeSantis has called Amendment 4 "too radical to pass" since it would roll back the bills he's passed restricting abortion.
"It completely eliminates not just the Heartbeat Protection Act but the 15-week protections," DeSantis said.
DeSantis has been a staunch opposer of the procedure, signing a bill banning abortion after six weeks after Roe vs. Wade was overturned. The ban used to be 15 weeks — he signed that bill as well.
"We are here today to defend those who can't defend themselves," DeSantis said during a bill signing.
DeSantis is urging voters to shoot the measure down. However, Crooks said that the voters can choose this instead of lawmakers with an agenda.
"It would mean that women have autonomy and sovereignty over the choices that govern their lives," Crooks said.
Amendment 4 needs 60% of the vote to pass. The Guttmacher Institute, a policy think tank, said three states have the right to an abortion in the state's constitution. If Amendment 4 passes, Florida would become the fourth.
