Photo Courtesy of Derek French
The 2024 election on Nov. 5 was a momentous occasion for Americans, specifically for first-time voters. One of the most notable and controversial Amendments presented on the Florida ballot was Amendment 4. Unfortunately, despite the justified backlash and heavy support for the acceptance of this Amendment, Amendment 4 failed to pass in the Florida legislature.
What is Amendment 4?
Amendment 4 made an appearance on this year’s ballot, labeled as the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion”. The amendment essentially stated that no government law could be further created or used to prohibit the execution of abortions before viability or in cases where the pregnancy risked a patient’s health.
The creation of Amendment 4 was deliberated with many factors in mind and was created due to events in June 2022 and early May this year. In June 2022, the Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade, was overturned with the decision of the court case Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The overturning of Roe led to the federal elimination of abortion access; essentially leaving abortion rights to be a decision for the states. This created a huge disruption in the nation as many people feared the abuse of this decision by many state governments, due to the majority conservative influence in many major states.
This fear was confirmed in states like Florida, Texas, South Dakota, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and other states where abortion plans were placed or plans to decrease abortion access were broadcast.
In Florida specifically, a 6-week abortion ban followed the 15-week ban that was put into place in July 2022 after Roe v Wade was overturned. The chance to overturn this ban was given when Amendment 4 was placed on the Florida ballot, however, it failed to pass due to a lack of support from Florida’s population.
Reasons For Failure
One of the main reasons for the lack of Amendment 4’s passing was the 60% rule in Florida. This rule states that the passing of a constitutional amendment in Florida must be enforced by a 60% vote from the public. The inability of this Amendment to be passed was due to the failure of the general public to reach the 60% threshold for its passing.
Another reason for the inability of 4 to pass was poor campaigning on the part of the government. The information available on the Amendment itself was limited, at best, and included plenty of misguided information.
While potentially true, much of the information regarding Amendment 4 that was broadcasted to the public was in support of the ban itself, encouraging the idea of abortion as a negative procedure.
What Does This Mean?
For Floridian women, the failure of this amendment to pass could mean a lot for the future. One of the biggest misconceptions of this amendment is that encouraging this amendment would mean encouraging a procedure meant to eliminate a form of life. In reality, this amendment was meant to give women access to proper, safe healthcare based on extenuating circumstances.
The ban failed to take account of rape victims, financially unstable families, mentally unstable individuals who couldn’t handle a pregnancy, and many other situations. The idea behind Amendment 4 was that the new circumstances would give women a choice and provide a layer of safety for potentially dangerous pregnancies.
While this is a sensitive topic for many people, this abortion ban is without a doubt a ban on women’s bodies. Floridians and Americans across the country have experienced travesties due to pregnancies and this ban could potentially put women in very dangerous or unwanted scenarios.
However, there is hope for those who were disappointed by the lack of overturning for this ban in Florida and other sympathizing states. Protests continue to go on regarding the matter and access continues to be available in other states for women in need.
It is encouraged for women everywhere to do their research on their state’s laws, their rights, and their resources to avoid possible complications in the future. If you or someone you know needs help finding these resources, places like Planned Parenthood are one of many organizations that specialize in reproductive healthcare.
As went Vice President Kamala Harris’ words of encouragement, from one woman to another, “Sometimes the fight takes a while…that doesn’t mean we won’t win.”
Comments