After the failure of Amendment 4, pro-choice advocates say the fight continues for abortion rights in Florida.
Pro-choice advocates said the “inhumane six-week abortion ban” will continue despite majority of Floridians voting in favor of Amendment4, even though it failed to reach the required 60% for passage.
Amendment 4 was a state ballot measure to overturn Florida’s current six-week abortion ban, and it fell just short of the required 60% of voter support in order to pass. This move would have allowed abortion until viability – approximately 24 weeks into pregnancy.
“This is war,” Yes on 4 Florida posted on social media. “This is war on our reproductive freedoms. And not every battle lost is a war won. We did not lose tonight. We will continue to fight like hell …I will be damned if we walk out of this room with a defeatist attitude. Eighty-four thousand patients depend on us. So tonight, hug your friends, hug your families, hug your loved ones, but you get out there tomorrow, and you let Florida know we had 57%.”
The ballot measure results follow more than a year of statewide campaigning by Floridians Protecting Freedom (FPF), a collaborative of citizens and allied organizations, including the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), that have been working together to protect Floridians’ access to abortion and ability to make their own personal medical decisions without government interference.
“Although 57% of Florida voters – a clear majority – supported the ability and freedom to make our own reproductive health care decisions, this support ultimately fell short of the 60% threshold needed to undo the restrictive six-week ban,” said May Thach, NAPAWF’s Senior Florida Organizing Manager. “This time limit is unworkable for most people, who often do not even realize they are pregnant. We anticipate that the bulk of this harm will disproportionately be experienced by women of color, immigrants, as well as exacerbate the number of preventable deaths that the abortion ban will cause in the state.”
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women often face a multitude of barriers to abortion care, including lack of language access, low rates of insurance, and income barriers, which have all worsened as abortion has been restricted and banned in more states.
“AAPI women face an uphill climb when trying to access very basic reproductive health care, and abortion bans like Florida’s, have put their lives, health, and economic security at greater risk,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director of NAPAWF. “We will continue to amplify the voices of AAPI communities and the impacts of abortion bans on our lives and families until everyone has access to the care they want and need.”
Florida became the first state to reject an abortion rights amendment since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was a prominent member of the opposition to Amendment 4.
“Floridians made their voices heard loud and clear, demanding an end to the state’s restrictive 6-week abortion ban,” Yes on 4 Florida emphasized. “While Amendment 4 fell just short of the 60%, a clear majority of voters have demanded lawmakers repeal the extreme abortion ban. Without immediate action from the legislature, Floridians will remain under a 6-week ban—one that impacts countless women before they may even realize they’re pregnant.”
The Florida Democratic Party also responded.
“This is a heartbreaking loss,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried.“Republicans treated this like a political game — but women will die because of their efforts to end access to reproductive healthcare in the south. Many doctors will lose their licenses, face lawsuits or flee the state entirely, affecting access to quality care for all Floridians. Florida is the only state with abortion on the ballot this year to require a 60% threshold to pass and Ron DeSantis broke every law in the book to run a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign to knock off just enough votes to defeat the amendment. The Amendment 4 campaign faced unprecedented attacks from the state at every turn.”
Florida Democrats also believe the Republican Governor went too far in his efforts to stop Amendment 4.
“Ron used the full weight of the government to spread doubt and undermine confidence in the amendment, holding daily press conferences, spending millions to run illegal, taxpayer-funded attack ads and deploying the state’s elections police to knock on people’s doors and intimidate voters,” the Florida Democratic Party Chair added. “It was a full-fledged assault against the truth and a brazen misuse of state power and resources.
“Though the amendment did not meet the high threshold to pass, the majority of Floridians are still opposed to Florida’s extreme abortion ban and the legislature has an obligation to respect the will of the people and act — repeal this extreme ban. If they don’t, it is up to Congress to restore reproductive freedom nationwide.”
