Amendment 4 fails, leaving Florida’s 6-week abortion ban in place

Shutterstock/fitzcrittle.

By Giselle Balido

November 5, 2024

The measure faced strong opposition from DeSantis, who used tactics such as using taxpayer funds to run ads that opposed the amendment.

Amendment 4, the grassroots initiative to restore abortion rights in Florida, did not garner enough support from state voters to pass, receiving had 58.4% of the vote with more than 95% of votes counted, according to Decision Desk HQ. The amendment needed at least 60% of the vote to pass.

The citizen-led initiative would have nullified Florida’s current six-week abortion ban that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in April of last year, and permitted abortion to be legal before viability, which is usually understood to be around 24 weeks – or when necessary to protect a patient’s health – as determined by their healthcare provider.

The measure faced strong opposition from DeSantis, who used tactics such as using taxpayer funds to run ads that opposed the amendment, threatening to sue local TV stations for airing pro-Amendment 4 ads, and sending law enforcement to the homes of people who signed the petition to put the measure on the ballot.

Author

Giselle Balido

Giselle is Floricua's political correspondent. She writes about the economy, environmental and social justice, and all things Latino. A published author, Giselle was born in Havana and grew up in New Jersey and Miami. She is passionate about equality, books, and cats.

View all posts

CATEGORIES:

Support Our Cause

Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Floridians and our future.

Since day one, our goal here at Floricua has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Florida families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.