The 2024 election season has recently ended, and the loss of one amendment has caused quite the debate in local and statewide communities. Amendment 4 was the amendment about the abortion rights on the 2024 Florida ballot.

Amendment 4 was entitled “Amendment to limit government interference with abortion.” This amendment would enshrine in the Florida Constitution the right to abortion until viability. Fetal viability can be anywhere around 23-24 weeks, or about 6 months..

This amendment was put on the ballot after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, this gave each individual state the ability to set their own laws regarding abortion. On May 1 of this past year, Florida’s legislation officially came into effect. The legislation in question: the outlaw on abortions after 6 weeks.

Critics of the ban argue that this ban effectively bans abortions entirely, with 2 in every 5 pregnant women not even knowing that they are pregnant that early on. However, supporters argue that allowing abortions would essentially be the same as legalizing murder, as they believe life begins at conception.

On the ballot, the way the amendment was described was, “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.”

This amendment would have made it a constitutional right to be able to get an abortion either before viability or in order to keep the mother safe in necessary situations. It would have made it so legislators cannot make laws on the topic of abortion in the state of Florida.

Now, for the amendment to pass, it would have had to pass with 60% of votes. However, it got approximately 57% of votes, and therefore, did not.

This law affects the community greatly. For example, the teen population may not know if they are pregnant instantly, and would miss the window. This is also true if they have issues with finances or transportation, which may make them miss that 6-week period.

There are however two exceptions to the ban. If a doctor or medical professional deems it unsafe to the point of life or death for the mother to carry to term, abortions will be allowed after the 6 weeks. The other exception is for human trafficking or sexual assault. If the individual can show proof of this, such as a police record or medical record, they can get an abortion at up to 15 weeks.

This means if a teen has any of these issues, they could get an abortion. Florida’s legislation on abortion looks like it’s here to stay, and it brings some controversy with it.