This November, Floridians vote on Amendment 4, sponsored by Planned Parenthood and the radical left. This Amendment is extreme, radical, and deceptive.
The ballot summary reads:
“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 health care 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.”
49 words. Zero definitions or clarifications.
Amendment 4 repeals all common-sense abortion laws enacted by our elected representatives. Viability is not defined. Therefore, painful, dangerous late-term abortions would be legal in Florida under Amendment 4.
“Health” remains undefined under this radical proposal, possibly intentionally. This extreme Amendment goes far beyond allowing abortion to save the life of the mother, which is the current law in Florida.
Under Amendment 4, other types of physical, emotional, and financial circumstances could be used to permit late-term abortion. Further, no definition is given for health care providers, so even non-physicians would be allowed to perform abortions.
Finally, while parental notification sounds reasonable, it replaces Florida’s current law of parental consent. Consent is currently required of parents of minor children to obtain an abortion.
Notification would change all that, and only require the news of an abortion to be reported after the fact. Parents would lose their rights.
Whatever your views on abortion, we all can agree. It's too extreme for Florida.
Scott J Mahurin
Palmetto
6 comments on this item
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Cat L
I'm pretty sure it is still illegal to treat a minor without parental or guardian consent.
5 days ago Report this
Libby23
The terms you say are not defined in the amendment don’t need to be because they are defined in other places; e.g. “viability” is defined in Florida law. It continues to amaze me that some Floridians are ok with government interference in healthcare decisions .
5 days ago Report this
joni.corcoran
Scott,
Until you grow a uterus, you should stay out of the area of women’s healthcare decisions. I thought this was the freedom state?
5 days ago Report this
rayfusco68
Not only is viability defined the only person that can perform an abortion is a licensed medical doctor, who obviously is the health care provider. It is time for the politicians to stop trying to control women's health care decisions. How about this for an alternative: All males should receive vasectomies at puberty and they can only be reversed if the man and his wife approve so that they can have a wanted child and then implemented again. Men want to control women lets put the shoe on the other foot. Your religious beliefs should control your behavior not anyone elses.
4 days ago Report this
mklimek
I don't think a 6 week abortion ban is a "common sense abortion law". So stop right there with all of your misinformation.
4 days ago Report this
Rlasunto
Thank you Cat L
There is a law on the books already that protects parental rights. HB 241 makes it illegal for doctors or any other medical professionals to treat a child without parental consent..
Why do Republicans have to resort to scare tactics to distort the amendment?
Yesterday at 11:13 AM Report this