Gabrielle Russon
After months of a heated campaign about the future of abortion rights in Florida post-Roe v. Wade, voters defeated the Amendment 4 abortion rights constitutional amendment in Tuesday’s election, as it fell short of the 60% threshold to pass.
The measure only had 57% of support, which means Florida’s existing six-week abortion ban will remain in place.
“We are profoundly disappointed with today’s result that reflects the will of only a minority of voters,” said Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, and one of the leaders of the Yes on 4 campaign. “Planned Parenthood health centers in Florida have seen firsthand the devastating impact abortion bans have on patients and providers in Florida and across the country. The defeat of Amendment 4 will only add to that misery.”
Anti abortion rights advocates celebrated the measure’s defeat Tuesday.
“Florida’s voters again had the choice — do we want to be like California? Their answer was ‘NO,'” said spokeswoman Taryn Fenske of Vote No on 4, who said the $120 million promoting Amendment 4 was “twice as much money as has ever been spent on any pro-abortion Amendment in America. We protected our constitution because of the singular vision and steadfast leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
Amendment 4 supporters blamed DeSantis for Tuesday night’s defeat, accusing him of using taxpayer dollars to “deceive voters and undermine our democracy.”
“This loss does not reflect the will of the Floridians, who turned out in droves to reject Florida’s abortion ban and say clearly that they don’t want government in their personal medical decisions,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and President of Planned Parenthood Action. “This is not over. The unprecedented number of Floridians who came out to vote shows just how strong the movement to restore abortion access in Florida really is. We won’t stop until reproductive freedom is a reality for every Floridian.”
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political committee behind Amendment 4, led a grassroots effort collecting signatures to get the initiative restoring abortion rights on the ballot. The PC’s war chest came from a combination of multimillion-dollar donations from progressive groups and tens of thousands of smaller donors.
Leading up into the election, Amendment 4 faced an all-out war from DeSantis and state leaders who deployed taxpayer resources to oppose the measure and spent millions on ads against it. They argued Amendment 4 was too extreme in the opposite direction and was written vaguely to regulate abortion industry. Critics also worried it would make Florida a destination for women who needed the medical procedure in the South.
The Department of Health openly campaigned against Amendment 4. DeSantis’ allies also pushed through a financial impact statement appearing on the ballot, which FPF argued wasn’t meant to inform voters but to discourage them from voting for abortion rights.
DeSantis targeted Amendment 4 as he traveled around the state during regular press conferences that became political rallies, where he took no press questions and brought in anti-abortion rights doctors and former NFL Coach Tony Dungy onto the stage with him.
DeSantis’ administration tried to silence his critics by sending cease and desist letters to TV stations playing pro-abortion rights ads. At least one media outlet, WINK-TV, took down the ads for five days as TV stations were threatened with criminal prosecution. A federal Judge blocked the state from intervening further, one of the rare times DeSantis’ administration was stopped in court as abortion rights advocates accused him of illegally blurring the lines as a government leader intervening in an ballot initiative.
Election police also knocked on the doors of some Amendment 4 petition signers and accused the FPF of violating rules when the campaign collected signatures.
Florida was one of 10 states deciding reproductive freedom this election with abortion emerging as a leading issue across the country following the end of Roe v Wade.
Tallahassee lawmakers passed an abortion ban at six weeks for most pregnancies that went into effect in May, with abortion rights advocates calling it one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country.
“Now, we physicians can stay true to our Hippocratic oath to do no harm to our patients,” said Dr. Christina Peña, an OB/GYN practicing in Miami who was a member of Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4, after the vote.
24 comments
I Am Garbage
November 5, 2024 at 8:47 pm
Uh oh.
Margarita Senorita
November 5, 2024 at 8:48 pm
Tough KOOKies. 🇺🇲
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
November 6, 2024 at 8:22 am
Goot Mornting Florida,
I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, would like to personally thank myself, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, for all the Leadership, Wisdom, and Hard Work, which I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, put into defeating Admendments 3 & 4.
I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, hereby Spit a Loogie in the eye of the Evil George Soros, and will soon be in receipt of the Presidental Medal of Honor, just like the one Rush got BTW, from President Trump, for Truth Justice and The American Way.
Again I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, thank me, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you Florida,
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
Deo Gratias
November 5, 2024 at 9:07 pm
Thank God. Perhaps a few more children will live.
Dont Say FLA
November 6, 2024 at 7:50 am
Yeah, it’s just not as much fun for school shooters when the schools are empty because people aren’t having kids because we live in a 3rd rate, shit hole KKKountry where gullible morons are easily convinced their own family and neighbors are their enemy “within”
Beth
November 8, 2024 at 9:33 am
And a lot more women will die leaving their other children behind really a woman died by bleeding out in a hospital she was 17 weeks pregnant and 8.9 % dialated there was no way to unring that bell she was miscarriage and they wouldn’t do anything until the faint heartbeat stopped so she bled to death now you have 2 that died her and her baby
Deo Gratias
November 5, 2024 at 9:09 pm
By the way, Ron DeSantis hereby establishes himself as THE standard bearer for conservatives in America.
I Am Garbage
November 5, 2024 at 9:10 pm
DeSantis is an outstanding Governor.
SallyB
November 5, 2024 at 10:56 pm
He is indeed.
P
November 5, 2024 at 9:23 pm
58 percent voted in favor of 4z I’m not sure why Taryn is taking a victory lap when they only won on a technicality.
SallyB
November 5, 2024 at 10:58 pm
It’s the rule of law, loser.
Victoria Olson
November 5, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I am outraged as well as you should that DeSantis spent 4 Million of taxpayers money to place liar Propaganda commercials against Amendment 4. They are MURDERS of women.
Hope they are proud to call themselves implicit of MURDER
I Am Garbage
November 5, 2024 at 9:42 pm
DeSantis gets one vote. His wife gets one as well. The rest come from the people in the state of Florida. They decided
YEW OWEME
November 6, 2024 at 5:28 am
MAGA MARK, they proved florida is a hellhole. you’re there, i’m not. i win
I Am Garbage
November 6, 2024 at 9:10 pm
Well we’ll look who is back. You take shots at us that live in Florida since you were kicked out of The Villages. Looks like Tennessee was solid red last night as well. No where to go except the West Coast and New England. The rest of America does not think like you do. Thank God.
SallyB
November 5, 2024 at 11:34 pm
Murder? Seriously? Read the actual text of the law, snowflake. 🤣America’s Governor — Florida governor Ron DeSantis — and Florida’s First Lady — Casey DeSantis — maintain their mojo. God bless them and the State of Florida. Sorry, losers! Get used to losing in the Sunshine State. We’re rugby red.
Beth
November 8, 2024 at 9:39 am
Women are dying even when they are miscarrying and they bleed out ever think about the children left behind with no mother check out the Forster care and the cut off for them is 4 years old no one is thinking about that
SallyB
November 5, 2024 at 10:55 pm
🤣America’s Governor — Florida governor Ron DeSantis — maintains his mojo. God bless them and the State of Florida. Sorry, losers! Get used to losing in the Sunshine State. We’re rugby red.
YEW OWEME
November 6, 2024 at 5:35 am
SALLYB, no sally you are the loser, you live in florida, i don’t.
RICK'S BRO, EARL PITTS AMERICAN
November 6, 2024 at 8:58 am
Come on down, Bro,
We can celebrate Trump’s Sage Victorious Victory by hitting some of The Great State of Florida’s Finest Strip Clubs. I’ve got an entire New Squad of The Best Pole Dancers who are excited to meet a “Deep Pockets Sugar Daddy” like you, Bro.
Thanks Bro,
RICK’S BRO, EARL PITTS AMERICAN
RICK'S BRO, EARL PITTS AMERICAN
November 6, 2024 at 2:09 pm
I just hope my Bro, Rick’s not so depressed over the Dook 4 Brains Leftist Politican’s “Landslide Beat-Down-Smack-Down” that he has checked himself into a seedy Nashville Motel again to drink his political sorrows away again.
I may need to drive on up there and conduct another Rescue.
RICK’S BRO, EARL PITTS AMERICAN
Dont Say FLA
November 6, 2024 at 7:53 am
The USA needs to abort Florida. Give it back to Spain if they’ll take it. If not, maybe Mexico would want it? Florida becoming an Estado de Mexico would at solve Florida’s illegal immigration problem. (IOW be careful what you ask for- You might get it)
Dont Say FLA
November 6, 2024 at 7:56 am
Another big positive for Florida being an Estado de Mexico might be people once again considering going on vacation to Florida, but only if the so-called “work zone” speeding ticket scam situation throughout most of Georgia could be remedied.
Me
November 8, 2024 at 12:15 pm
Beth is completely right. Now we will have more children in the foster care system. More families at the food banks and the shelters. More displaced children and families because a mother is having a miscarriage and can’t get the proper healthcare she needs. Doctors can’t not help in fear of getting sued or loosing their medical license.
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