After former President Donald Trump (R) gave a vague answer on how he will vote on Florida’s Amendment 4 which certifies the right to an abortion and needs 60% support to pass, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy came about against the measure, describing it as “deceptive.”
“Florida’s Amendment 4 is written with vague & deceptive terms. All Florida voters need to read it VERY CAREFULLY,” said Coach Dungy. “I predict when Donald Trump reads and understands what this bill will actually do he’ll change course and vote no. But I urge all Florida voters to research this. Don’t be fooled by terms like ‘viability’, ‘healthcare providers’ & parental ‘notification’ that are not defined. This bill will drastically change the abortion landscape in Florida if it passes.”
The amendment reads as follows:
“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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
The main argument against the amendment from a legal perspective is that the term “viability” is too vague and could differ by up to a month. For instance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states clinicians consider viability to be between 20-25 weeks. It’s a large window that is not defined in the amendment.
Last month, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) released a video directed toward Floridians on his personal social media account providing a rationale for voting no against Amendment 4 in the upcoming November election.
Gov. DeSantis argues this amendment would enshrine abortion privileges up until the moment of birth despite its wording.
Amendment 4 is bad for Florida, and we must come together to defeat it in November.
-It eliminates parental consent for minors, making abortion the only procedure a minor can get without a parent’s consent.
-It removes doctors from the decision and allows any so-called “health… pic.twitter.com/GF2OYUzTWX
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 1, 2024
A new poll from NextGen Polling and Life First PC taken between Aug. 23-26, polled 1,664 likely voters and found 54.3% support the bill, 25.8% oppose it, and 19.9% are undecided.
After "message testing," the poll uncovered that the amendment only has 47.5% of support. The vote on this amendment could come down to the wire.
