Ground zero for the pro-life movement

The most consequential pro-life issue this fall is on the ballot in Florida. The proposed state constitutional amendment known as Amendment 4 reads as follows:

“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.”

Amendment 4 attempts to codify Roe in Florida. If passed, it would overturn the six-week abortion ban signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 and remove existing parental consent laws. Opponents of the bill note that key terms such as “viability,” “patient’s health,” and “healthcare provider” are left vague, thus allowing for many loopholes, including abortion up to the point of birth (if an abortionist deems it is necessary for a woman’s health). Should Amendment 4 pass, Florida would join states like California, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont that enshrine abortion in the state constitution. Similar amendments are on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.

But for the pro-life movement across the country, Florida’s ballot measure is the most consequential post-Dobbs amendment. Why? Because of the way that it tests the effects of Gov. DeSantis’ transformation of the state.

DeSantis’ election in 2018 has been aptly described as one of the most significant political developments in the last decade in America. In a few short years, his leadership has turned Florida from a perennial swing state into a red state. In addition to pursuing a free-market economic agenda, DeSantis also fully engaged on cultural and social issues. He resisted the combination of folly and tyranny during the COVID-19 pandemic. He picked fights with the Rainbow Mafia at Disney. He restructured Florida’s higher education system to remove wokeness and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. And he signed into law a bill banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Through his bold and competent leadership (most recently manifested in his handling of two major hurricanes), DeSantis has reshaped Florida’s electorate through the “Great Sort,” attracting conservatives from across the country who have fled the bureaucratic debauchery of blue states in favor of Floridian freedom. The result was the overwhelming reelection of DeSantis (and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio) in 2022.

Which is why Amendment 4 is so consequential. If the same state that delivered such a resounding victory in 2022 enshrines abortion in the state constitution in 2024, it will send shockwaves through the nation—and especially through the GOP. It will communicate that the pro-life cause is a losing issue, even in red states like Florida. And this would be a disaster for the unborn, as feckless and fickle “conservative” politicians in red states run away from righteousness to save their electoral hide.

On the other hand, if Amendment 4 is soundly defeated, it will vindicate the DeSantis strategy of reshaping a state’s electorate through competent governance and bold leadership on cultural issues. If Florida rejects abortion radicalism, then, Lord-willing, other conservative governors and legislatures will follow Florida’s lead and be emboldened to take advantage of our national sorting to attract citizens who desire to live in a safe, prosperous, and righteous society, one that protects the weakest and most vulnerable among us, and to repel those who embrace the deviancy, degeneracy, and wickedness that afflicts our society.

To his credit, DeSantis recognizes the stakes. Both he and his wife, Casey, are actively campaigning against Amendment 4. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has built a website to bring clarity to the state’s abortion laws and the effects of Amendment 4. And the latest polls show a very close race, with the amendment close to the 60 percent needed to pass.

If you have friends and family in Florida (and Missouri, Arizona, Montana, and so forth), send them a text (and this column) and encourage them to vote “No.” Send them to the Vote No on 4 Florida website to get information on the deceptive and destructive effects of the amendment.

Pastors in Florida should place the issue before their congregations. They should consider preaching a timely sermon on the importance of protecting and respecting human life, including clear action steps for the election on Nov. 5. For those pastors skittish about the appearance of partisanship, it’s important to remember that the only reason that this is a partisan issue is because the Democratic Party is wholly committed to an ideology of death.

The unborn have no vote on Election Day. And so, in keeping with Proverbs 24:10–12 (which has become a rallying passage for the pro-life movement), we live in a day of adversity. So strengthen weak hands and don’t faint. Rescue those being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. We can’t say we didn’t know. God sees, and He weighs our hearts. So trust in Him, Floridians, and vote “No” on 4.