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Governor DeSantis dismisses Amendment 4 as ‘bunch of lies’ that would make a radical change to Florida law

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Updated  October 22, 2024 1:42pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the second day in a row, Governor Ron DeSantis spoke against Amendment 4.

"You don't get a mulligan once it’s in the constitution," DeSantis said during a Tuesday morning press conference in Jacksonville.  

Amendment 4 is a ballot measure in the 2024 election on whether to add language to the Florida State Constitution expanding access to abortions.

What is Amendment 4? 

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."

READ MORE: Amendment 4: Here's what it means to Florida voters

DeSantis says that his opposition to Amendment 4 is based on deeper reasons than his long-standing pro-life position, but because the rhetoric surrounding the amendment is "all a bunch of lies" and the language in the amendment is "ill-defined."

Supporters of Amendment 4 say it is necessary to vote ‘yes’ to overturn Florida's current abortion laws, which they argue are some of the strictest in the nation. Some supporters of Amendment 4 say Florida state law doesn't allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, and the health of the baby or the mother. However, DeSantis says that is a lie.

"You have exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking and when the child has a fatal fetal abnormality, that will prevent him and her from surviving," the governor said as he was surrounded by physicians. 

READ MORE: Presidential election 2024: Here’s your Bay Area voter’s guide

DeSantis added that Florida law does allow for abortions up until a baby’s heartbeat is detected.

"Florida's law is very clear," said DeSantis.

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke against Amendment 4 at a press conference in Jacksonville.

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke against Amendment 4 at a press conference in Jacksonville.

DeSantis also says Amendment 4's language is too broad to pass. He points to the amendment's lack of definitions for terms like "viability" of a baby’s life and the differences between "parental consent" and "parental notification."

READ MORE: 'Intentionally deceptive': DeSantis campaigns against Amendment 4

"There's nothing in the amendment that will prohibit notification of parents about a minor having an abortion," said DeSantis. "That is not the same as consent."

DeSantis also argued that passing Amendment 4 would allow for abortions up until birth and would eventually lead to taxpayers funding abortions. He says that despite wide-ranging opinions on abortion, this is "making a radical change" to the law.

Seven states have voted on abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Florida is one of ten states voting on abortion rights in the 2024 election.

Amendment 4 needs to receive 60 percent support from voters to become law.

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