Petition to Amend the Florida Constitution - Concerning abortion-Know what you are signing

Perhaps you have noticed people walking around at our local grocery stores asking if you are registered to vote, and then asking you to sign an amendment concerning abortion titled Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion. They are trying to gain signatures to pass a constitutional amendment in 2024. Millions of dollars are flowing into our state for this effort to pass this amendment. If this becomes part of Florida’s constitution, it will be the law that determines the legality of every other law regarding abortion.

Please read the wording very carefully and know what you are signing.

The exact wording of this amendment is as follows:

“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.”

There are two glaring loopholes in this proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution.

First, it says “to protect the patients health as determined by the patients health care provider.” It does not say, to protect the patient's life. An unscrupulous doctor could determine this to mean anything from a headache to clinical depression.

Second, it says “before viability.” Viability means when a fetus can survive on its own outside the womb and the exact time of this has been debated for decades.

This amendment is Sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom, Inc. This is a coalition of at least six different groups that include Planned Parenthood and ACLU of Florida. The full list can be found on the sponsors website floridiansprotectingfreedom.com

The gentleman who asked for my signature said he was being paid per signature by the DNC. This does not appear to be a grassroots movement. There appears to be big money flowing into Florida to continue to allow broad interpretation of who should get an abortion and when.

Florida GOP Faith Mobilization Committee urges people to consider signing a different proposed amendment titled Human Life Protection Amendment and can be found on humanlifefl.com