MIAMI.- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis once again criticized the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to legalize abortion in the state, in a video posted on social media X.
In his message to Florida residents, DeSantis outlined his reasons for voting against Amendment 4 in the general election on November 5.
DeSantis argued that despite its wording, the amendment would allow abortion up to the moment of birth. “First, what does the amendment do? Well, it completely eliminates not only the Heartbeat Protection Act, but also the 15-week protections, and it even eliminates parental consent for minors regarding abortion.”
For the Tallahassee mayor, “That is something that is in our statutes. It is something that is very common sense. This amendment would eliminate that. And abortion would be the only thing that a minor could do behind their parents’ backs and without consent.”
He added: “Everything else in the medical field would require parental consent. They are removing that. So they are removing an important right of parents with this amendment.”
In addition, DeSantis emphasized that the amendment would guarantee abortion up to the moment of birth. “It’s written in a way that tries to water that down, but basically, if you have a ‘health care provider’ (who) says there should be an abortion, then you can do it. It doesn’t even require a doctor,” he stressed.
Amendment 4 proposes to protect the right to abortion in Florida up to the point of fetal viability, estimated to be between 20 and 24 weeks.
According to the amendment’s text: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion prior to viability or when necessary to protect the health of the patient, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.”
According to the measure being voted on, “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor undergoes an abortion.”
The amendment needs to obtain 60% of the votes to be approved and become part of the Florida Constitution.
DeSantis’ stance reinforces the divide in the abortion debate in Florida, highlighting the political and social tensions surrounding the controversial constitutional amendment.
Opponents of the amendment
DeSantis’ statements were joined by the first video from the group ‘Vote No on 4’, which also questioned the proposal after considering it a tool to boost the Democratic vote in the November elections.
The two-minute video criticizes what it sees as a lack of clear definitions in the amendment text, specifically in terms of words or phrases such as “viability,” “patient health” and “health care provider.”
“This is what the summary of the Amendment 4 vote says, but here’s what it means: No law shall prohibit any abortion at any time and for any reason determined by the employees of the abortion clinic. This amendment makes abortion the only medical procedure your child may undergo without your consent,” the video says.
“It sounds extreme because it is. There are no definitions, there are no doctors, there is no parental consent. Amendment 4 is too extreme and it is not what it seems,” the video concludes.
