Amendment 4: Abortion rights in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla — One of the most controversial constitutional measures on your ballot is Amendment Four, focusing on when and if a woman can get an abortion in this state.

Amendment Four is a direct hit to the state’s 6-week abortion ban, which Governor DeSantis championed and signed into law earlier this year.

Supporters of Amendment Four say most women don’t even know they’re pregnant by 6 weeks, and the decision about an abortion should be between a woman, her family, and her doctor - not the government.

Nearly 5 million people across the state of Florida have already voted by mail or in person at early voting sites.

Read: Amendment 1: How voters can decide if school board members will be elected

One of six amendments on every ballot is Amendment 4.

For those voting yes – they say – the language is simple.

Reverend Kathy Schmitz from the League of Women Voters of Orange County said, “It allows abortion up to viability.”

Monday’s campaign finance report showed that the political action committee pushing the amendment, Floridians Protecting Freedom, has raised nearly 110 million dollars, with about half of that coming in within the last month.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to be the most vocal opponent, holding near-daily briefings, utilizing state resources and funding to fight it, and luring doctors and pastors across the state to help.

“Anytime you’re presented with a constitutional amendment, your default should be no because you’re changing the constitution,” DeSantis said.

The state has challenged the language of the amendment, there have been court battles over the financial impact statements and allegations of voter intimidation.

In an unusual move, even the state Department of Health pushed PSAs against the abortion amendment, and the state threatened television stations with criminal prosecution for running pro-Amendment Four ads.

Read: Florida’s six constitutional amendments on the November ballot, explained

Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, said, “It is really important that we pay attention to all of the efforts that the government has taken to try to prevent voters in this state from actually voting on this amendment and what that means for our democracy.”

The amendment requires 60 percent of voters to pass.

But there are already court challenges, so this fight is a marathon - not a sprint for either side.

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