MIAMI – Millions of dollars in ads are trying to sway your vote on the abortion rights amendment on the November ballot.
A “yes” vote would remove government from abortion health care decisions.
A “no” vote leaves Florida’s 6-week restriction in place and the possibility for lawmakers to go further.
But how does the amendment affect minors and their parents?
Local 10 News put some of the claims on parental consent to the test.
“In Florida, parental consent is required for a minor to have an abortion,” a Yes on 4 ad claims. “Yes on 4 does not repeal that law.”
That is true and not disputed.
The amendment that would remove the government from abortion health decisions doesn’t affect a constitutional requirement already there: that a parent or legal guardian be notified when a minor seeks an abortion.
An ad narrated by a Miami radiologist and senior fellow for The Catholic Association claims, “Under Amendment 4 that same teen could get an abortion without parental consent.”
That is currently in the statutes — parental notice and parental consent — part of Florida’s current six-week abortion restrictions.
With Amendment 4, that notification requirement stays. It’s already in the constitution.
Abortion rights opponents, though, focus on the absence of the word “consent” in the Amendment 4 question.
One of the reps for the group opposing Amendment 4 said Monday, “(T)he beginning of Amendment 4 states, ‘no law shall’ which implies notification cannot be legislated or defined on the back end, if passed.”
If Amendment 4 passes, Florida lawmakers may still frame regulations.
“It preserves parental rights,” a Yes on 4 ad claims.
Amendment 4 preserves parental notification, though not necessarily written consent.
A No on 4 ad claims, “Amendment 4 would make abortion the only medical procedure a minor could undergo without parental consent.”
That’s not fully the case. There are exceptions and Amendment 4 does not address that subject.