In advance of the upcoming general elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.
Expand AllThere’s a simple reason voters should approve Florida’s constitutionall Amendment 4 to legalize abortion rights until viability:
Because the alternative, if the amendment fails to get 60% of voter approval, is the state’s current six-week abortion ban, one of the strictest in the nation.
Most women don’t even know they’re pregnant that early, making it essentially a complete ban. Florida also has a 24-hour mandatory waiting period, and telehealth appointments are prohibited before the procedure, adding additional obstacles for women who don’t live near a clinic or don’t have easy transportation.
The ban is cruelest to women who need an abortion to protect their own health but cannot get one because — even though the ban has such health exceptions — doctors are afraid the state will second guess their medical judgment.
Those are women like Broward County’s Anya Cook, who delivered a nearly 16-week fetus in the bathroom of a hair salon and lost almost half the blood in her body, as the Washington Post reported. Despite her facing a rare complication that can lead to hemorrhage and infection, an emergency room doctor would not terminate her pregnancy because Florida had at the time a 15-week abortion ban, later tightened to six weeks. Or Deborah Dorbert of Lakeland, forced to carry a baby to term despite a catastrophic fetal abnormality that left the baby without kidneys.
Amendment 4 would repeal the state’s six-week ban and restore abortion rights back closer to what they were in Florida and the U.S. for almost 50 years until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The amendment states abortion rights could not be banned, delayed or restricted up to the point of viability, roughly the same standard used in Roe. Viability isn’t defined in the measure but it’s usually around 24 weeks. Abortions after that would only be allowed “when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other opponents of Amendment 4 say the measure would allow doctors and women to kill babies after they are born (that would be illegal) or allow indiscriminate near-birth abortions. Yet the state’s own data shows that abortions later in pregnancy are extremely rare and happen under harrowing circumstances.
Out of 438,000 abortions performed in Florida from 2019 to 2024 — the majority of them under the viability standard the amendment would restore — only four happened in the third trimester of a pregnancy because of fatal fetal abnormalities, a serious genetic defect or deformity, or “due to a life endangering physical condition,” the state Agency for Health Care Administration reported. Nationwide, fewer than 1% of abortions nationwide happened after 21 weeks (96% occurred at or before 15 weeks gestation), according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Opponents also say Amendment 4 would allow any “healthcare provider” — like nurses and nurse assistants — to green-light post-viability abortions. Abortions later in pregnancy are more complicated and there are very few specialized providers who perform the procedure — and at often prohibitive costs, according to KFF, a nonpartisan healthcare policy organization. The possibility that a nurse assistant or even a nurse would perform an abortion seems far-fetched.
“We’re talking about highly specialized obstetric and gynecological care in harrowing circumstances,” Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, told the Herald Editorial Board. “The process for obtaining an abortion later in pregnancy is not an easy process, and there’s an incredibly limited scope of providers who offer that care.”
Perhaps it would have been easier if the Amendment 4 sponsors had specified “doctor” instead of “healthcare provider.” They also could have left in place the authority of the Legislature to require parental consent for abortions obtained by minors. The measure instead allows lawmakers to require only parental notification. But to call Amendment 4 radical is a stretch.
What’s radical is Florida’s six-week ban.
The Herald Editorial Board recommends a YES on Florida’s Amendment 4.
BEHIND OUR REPORTING Who decides the political recommendations?In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Luisa Yanez and Isadora Rangel. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the recommendation process look like?The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making a recommendation. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the recommendations, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive a recommendation.
Is the Editorial Board partisan?No. In making recommendations, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024, 11:07 AM.
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