The doctors formed Physicians Against Amendment 4 to fight the ballot initiative that, if approved, would make abortion a constitutional right in their pro-life state.
Appearing with the medical group at a press conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis called the proposal “absolutely insane” because approval makes permanent changes to the state constitution.
"Anytime you're presented as a voter here, with a constitutional amendment,” he said, “your default should be no, because you're changing the constitution forever.”
Florida requires 60% approval for a ballot initiative to pass. That makes passage of Amendment 4 more difficult than other states with similar proposals, but the pro-abortion side is working hard to score another post-Roe victory in another red state with pro-life laws.
Echoing the Governor’s warning, physicians who appeared alongside DeSantis said passage of Amendment 4 would erase most of Florida’s abortion laws that are on the books.
"When they say no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion,” one doctor warned, “they specifically mean that all or most of the current laws carefully designed to protect and safeguard the moms considering or undergoing an abortion will be discarded.”
"We can all stand together,” a second doctor said, “and oppose an amendment that would permit unregulated abortion at any time during pregnancy, that would remove physicians from the decision-making process, and would even eliminate parental consent for our young girls.”
