(Fox News) Abortion on the ballot has been seen as a sticking point for Republicans since the overturning of Roe V Wade, but a major amendment in Florida failed after voters voted “No” on the progressive legislation.
The measure needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass, the highest threshold in the country. It failed after 43% voted “No” and 57% voted “Yes.”
Florida’s abortion ban has been a contentious topic in the once-swing-state, with proponents of the amendment arguing that the Sunshine State’s current 6-week abortion ban is too restrictive after it was implemented in May.
Pro-abortion rights activists participate in the “Rally for Our Freedom” to protect abortion rights for Floridians, in Orlando, Florida. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty) (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
DeSantis used his platform as governor to lead the charge against the high-stakes amendment on the ballot, calling the measure a “bait and switch.”
“This amendment, if adopted, would be the first amendment in the history of the state of Florida to actually repeal a right,” the Republican governor said during a “Doctors Against Amendment 4” stop in October.
“It will repeal the right of a parent to have to provide consent before their child undergoes an abortion,” he said. “Right now in Florida, we have parental consent, not just for abortion, but for anything involving medical treatment for a minor. They can’t give your kid an aspirin unless you consent.”
Voters work on their ballots at a polling place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Florida is one of the nine states with a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot to protect access to abortion. While Florida needed at least 60% endorsement of the initiative, all other states need a simple majority to pass.
The majority of these ballot measures seek to amend efforts passed in Republican-led states, whose leaders moved to restrict abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision on Roe.
In Florida, the hot-button issue has been the most expensive – with about $150 million in ads, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.
