Respond to what you see..
When you see misinformation and lies, call it out! This page and slide deck will unpack some of these lies to help you be an advocate.
Also: volunteer to help get out the vote for Amendment 4! That is one of the clearest ways you can help.
LINK: floridiansprotectingfreedom.com
Florida’s Abortion Ban makes it virtually impossible to access an abortion.
Abortion is now illegal in Florida before many people even know they’re pregnant.
This extreme six week abortion ban starts the clock the first day of your last menstrual period, not from conception.
This means anyone seeking an abortion in Florida has just days after a missed period to confirm they’re pregnant and book two appointments at least 24 hours apart before receiving abortion care.
Florida’s abortion ban has very narrow exceptions for rape, incest, or when the health of the patient is at risk. This means that we may be forced to carry and give birth to an attacker’s child against our will, and doctors could be forced to delay necessary healthcare until their patients are on the brink of death.
No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy and give birth against their will.
Under this ban, the vast majority of people have been forced to do just that, putting our health, lives, and futures at risk.
These legal hoops, restrictions, and barriers make it virtually impossible for people to access an abortion when they need it.
Florida’s unique geography creates additional barriers for patient access. With a six-week ban, patients across all the major population centers in Florida have to travel an average distance of at least 500 miles to access care. The time, expense, and practical difficulty of travel for medical care at this scale create often insurmountable burdens.
Consistent evidence on gestational abortion bans have shown that they are associated with an increase in maternal mortality. Research has shown that new doctors are less likely to come to states with abortion bans and that current doctors express more likeliness to leave states with abortion bans. Florida’s ban will almost certainly increase maternal mortality rates and increase the shortage of OB-GYNs in the state.
Common Q&A on the ban.
Viist getthetruth.com to learn more.
How does the six-week ban affect the ability to get an abortion in Florida?
Florida has a six-week ban on abortion and requires two in-person appointments at least 24 hours apart to receive abortion care. The law has narrow exceptions for fatal fetal diagnoses and to save the life of the pregnant person with the signatures of two physicians. There are narrow exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy with the required documentation.
It should be noted that these so-called “exceptions” are difficult to access.
They require patients to jump through legal, procedural, and logistical hurdles on a timeframe that, for most, is impossible.
We’ve seen stories right here in Florida from women who have been denied exceptions and forced into tragic and dangerous circumstances.
PERSONAL STORIES.
Two friends, Anya Cook and Shanae Smith-Cunningham, coincidentally shared the horrifying experience of having their water break too early in their pregnancies. Both women’s doctors said they weren’t able induce labor to end the pregnancies, even though there was no chance their babies would survive. Instead the women were left to deal with the complications of their miscarriages on their own. Anya was forced to deliver her dead fetus alone in a bathroom at work, and she nearly died from the blood loss. Both women were subjected to unimaginable trauma and their lives were needlessly put at risk because of Florida’s abortion ban. Read more here.
Deborah Dorbert and her husband were devastated when they learned that her pregnancy wasn’t viable due to a diagnosis of Potter’s syndrome. Deborah asked to terminate the pregnancy but her doctors and their lawyers declined, fearful they would run afoul of the state’s 15-week abortion ban. Without any other feasible options, she and her family spent more than three months waiting for the birth and death of her child. Read more here.
Anabely Lopes was 15-weeks along in a pregnancy she deeply wanted when testing showed her fetus had the genetic condition Trisomy 18. Her doctor explained that most babies diagnosed with the condition die before they are born or within 5 to 15 days after birth due to severe defects. Anabely had to travel from Florida to Washington to get the abortion care she needed. Read more here.
WHAT DOES AMENDMENT 4 DO?
The complete text of Amendment 4: 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.
The overwhelming majority of Floridians think we should all have the freedom to make our own personal health care decisions without interference from politicians.
Voting Yes on Amendment 4 is the only path Floridians have to eliminate our state’s near-total abortion ban. It will be on your November ballot and we need 60% approval to pass.
COMBATTING LIES ABOUT AMENDMENT 4
Does this Amendment allow abortion for any reason until the moment of birth?
No. That’s nothing but a scare tactic. Floridians believe that the government should stay out of private medical decisions between patients and doctors. They understand that near-total bans lead to dire consequences and force doctors to risk criminal prosecution just for treating their patients. Individuals who help someone access an abortion beyond 6 weeks in Florida could also face criminal charges. This Amendment puts these decisions back in the hands of patients and their doctors by prohibiting the government from banning abortion before viability or blocking needed care when the patient’s health is at risk. Every pregnancy is unique, and doctors take an oath to act in the best interests of their patients, and we should trust them to do that and not threaten to throw them in jail for providing care.
What does “healthcare provider” mean – that just anyone could perform an abortion?
Of course not. You don’t go to your dentist for heart surgery. Doctors are all bound by their scope of practice, standards of care, and ethics. These ridiculous, false claims are only meant to scare and confuse voters.
Does this Amendment undo parental protections in Florida?
No, and whenever possible parents should be involved in the healthcare decisions of their children. Voters have already spoken on that subject — as it says in the Amendment language itself, it does not change the parental rights that are protected in Florida.
What this Amendment will do is end Florida’s abortion ban.
Take Action
Volunteer with Yes On 4 and help get out the vote to restore our freedoms and end Florida’s near-total abortion ban.
Share this link to fight back against misinformation and lies.
Make sure you, and your family and friends are ready and registered to vote.