Gabrielle Russon
A new poll says Amendment 4 abortion rights initiative doesn’t have enough outright support to reach the supermajority needed to pass, although a large number of voters are still undecided, setting the stage for a close Nov. 5 election.
About 53% support Amendment 4, 30% oppose it and 17% are undecided, according to the latest Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey.
Abortion rights is among the fourth-most important issues for potential voters, the new poll found.
“The economy is the top issue for 35% of voters, followed by housing affordability (15%), immigration (13%), abortion access (11%), threats to democracy (8%), and healthcare (6%),” according to a press release.
The poll, which had a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points, reached 860 likely Florida voters between Oct. 18-20.
Earlier this week, University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab released its latest survey that found Amendment 4 was polling at exactly 60% — the threshold it needs to pass.
“It looks like the fate of abortion in Florida will come down to turnout on Election Day.” UNF PORL faculty director and political science professor Michael Binder said in a statement since the poll found 8% were still undecided.
UNF PORL, which conducted its poll of 977 likely voters from Oct. 7-18, said 32% were against it.
Florida currently has a six-week abortion ban for most pregnancies. Amendment 4 seeks to enshrine additional abortion rights protections in the state constitution, likely undoing that ban.
The ballot question states, “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
Florida’s law, which went into effect in May, allows exceptions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy for rape, incest and human trafficking victims if they provide proof of the crimes with a police report, restraining order or medical report. Two physicians can also say in writing that an abortion is necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life, another exemption written into state law.
3 comments
Rita Joseph
October 23, 2024 at 4:26 pm
Abortion is not an honorable choice. Each pregnancy is about belonging—not ownership: Our natural law obligations as pregnant mothers have been replaced with ownership and killing rights over our utterly defenseless dependants prospering naturally and innocently in our wombs. A mother does not own the child in her womb — the ties between them are very real, quintessentially human biological ties of deep emotional and psychological significance. Her tiny daughter belongs to her and she belongs to her daughter. It is the natural intimacy of two human beings, not of owner and object, nor of master and slave. Unlike ownership, human belonging is a two-way street: we belong to our children—they belong to us. We parents own the responsibility to secure the blessings of liberty for our children: and just so, will our children own the responsibility when we grow old, and ill and needy, to protect our rights, our liberty, our inherent dignity and equal worth as human beings. We belong to each other — there is no ownership, only human solidarity. Rejection of ownership and killing rights over human beings is one of the most basic underlying inalienable principles that helped us build a moral, civilized society.
A Day without Hypocrite
October 24, 2024 at 1:11 am
Lots of people do not have the psychological mean to raise a child, because lots of people cannot meet their own psychological need,and that of the child,lots of people see their children as a fail ,being of themselves that they cannot eventually control
Hung Wiil
October 23, 2024 at 10:31 pm
UNF is THE WORST polling organization in the country. Michael Binder is a tool, with his its all about turn out now. No shat sherlock.
Their poll will prove to be wrong, Amendment 4 will fail, and Debbie Powell was never competitive in the Senate race.