Governor DeSantis makes final push against Amendment 4

Governor DeSantis campaigns against Amendment 4

FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports on Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign against Amendment 4 in the 2024 election.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis is throwing his political weight - and leaning on star power - in the effort to convince Floridians to vote "no" on Amendment Four.

Former Bucs coach Tony Dungy appeared with DeSantis on Tuesday at a Catholic school in Pinellas County.

"We need to know what we're voting for," said Dungy. "You can vote for or against, but please know what you're voting for."

The governor insists a few of the 49 words in Amendment 4 leave too much to chance.

About Amendment 4:

Amendment 4 is a ballot measure in the 2024 election to expand abortion rights in Florida.

Amendment 4 states:

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.

WATCH: The Florida Amendments

If passed, it would effectively repeal previous laws signed by DeSantis that restrict abortion to within the first six weeks of pregnancy.

DeSantis insists "viability" is poorly defined, that the word "provider" could leave medical care to non-physicians, and that not changing the state's "notification" of a parent rule distorts Florida's rule on parental "consent."

"If you don't know what some of the words mean," said DeSantis, "if you don't know what this would do, if you don't have a very firm sense of that, you should vote no."

Governor Ron DeSantis holds a copy of Amendment 4 as he campaigns against its passage.

Those backing Amendment 4 point out Florida law already defines viability as when the "life of a fetus is sustainable outside the womb," and they say scope of care laws already require abortions to be done by doctors, and finally, that the proof required to notify a parent is the same is proving they've consented.

"All this does is change the law around abortion back to what it was as far as a ban two years ago," said Lauren Brenzel, the chair of "Floridians Protecting Freedom. "And we weren't living in an extremist state two years ago. We were under Ron Desantis's leadership during that time. Things were fine."

The governor has spent the last week hammering on the abortion and recreational marijuana amendments, and is often using state resources to do so.

He has admitted they might both get majority support, but notes they need 60 percent to pass.

For a governor who was reelected two years ago with the same 60 percent vote, the results of this fight will show whether he's still got it.

"Even if they miss it by just a point, what is he celebrating that a majority of Floridians disagree with him?" said State Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa). "I mean, in a way, there's no real victory here for the governor, and he really should just stay in his lane and let this be decided by people."

Abortion access is on the ballot in ten states, including the two swing states of Nevada and Arizona.

Abortion ballot referendums have succeeded in all seven states they have been tried in since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

To watch FOX 13’s coverage of Amendment 4 and all the ballot measures in the November election, click here.

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