“After viability, any law that you would pass, like for late-term abortion, can be overridden because it provides a health care provider with veto power over any post-viability law if the health care provider deems it necessary to protect the health of the woman,” he explained. “A health care provider can say, for any reason, health not being defined, includes everything, for any reason: ‘This law cannot prohibit abortion.’”
According to Staver, the amendment also allows for a broad definition of health care provider, which he said can include “a tattoo artist, a 911 operator, orthotic fitter, orthotic fitter assistant,” and many more.
Julia Friedland, a representative for DeSantis, also blasted the amendment, saying it was misleading.
“We agree with the three women on the court who got it right in dissent,” Friedland told CNA. “This amendment is misleading and will confuse voters. The language hides the amendment’s true purpose of mandating that abortions be permitted up to the time of birth.”
Bishops urge Floridians to vote ‘no’
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement shortly after the ruling decrying the court’s decision and urging Floridians to oppose the amendment.
“We are greatly dismayed that the Florida Supreme Court did not reject this deceptively-worded amendment and that it will appear on the November 2024 ballot,” the bishops said. “If passed, the amendment to our state constitution would put the most innocent of human lives in grave danger until the moment of birth and would eliminate gains made over the past several decades to protect women from the harms of abortion, including health and safety protocols at abortion facilities.”
The bishops went on to say that they ”will work hard to oppose this cruel and dangerous amendment and urge all Floridians to vote ‘no’ on Amendment 4.”
The Florida bishops have long opposed the amendment and submitted a brief to the state Supreme Court in November 2023 that argued the proposal’s title “misleadingly suggests that the amendment ‘limits’ government interference when it bans all regulation before viability.”
Angela Curatalo, director of the Respect Life Office at the Archdiocese of Miami, told CNA that is extreme, deceptive, and “absolutely harmful to Floridians.”
“Voters need to know what it actually does,” Curatalo said. “What it would actually do is remove all regulation totally and not ‘limit’ it. This would mean legalizing abortion in Florida up to the moment of birth, anytime and for any reason.”
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She explained that the amendment would also “remove the Parental Consent Prior to a Minor’s Abortion law in the state of Florida, taking away a parent’s right to oversight of their child’s health and well-being” and “would nullify regulations for safe and sanitary practices and voluntary informed consent prior to an abortion, among other things.”
Curatalo pointed to the archdiocese’s three pregnancy centers and other pro-life efforts to say that while the abortion industry offers the “violence and horror of abortion,” the pro-life movement is “here to assist pregnant women and their families.”
Peter Pinedo is a DC Correspondent for CNA. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.
