TAMPA, Fla. — According to preliminary results from the Associated Press, Amendment 4 has failed to get approval from Florida voters, meaning the state’s current 6-week abortion ban will remain in place.
According to the AP election results, 57% of Floridians voted “yes" on the measure. It needed 60% of votes to pass.
If it had passed, Amendment 4 would have enshrined the right to an abortion in Florida’s constitution. It would also have blocked Florida lawmakers from restricting abortions before the point of viability – usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Amendment 4 was one of the most widely discussed ballot measures leading up to Election Day just as abortion has been a hot-button issue across the country for the past several years.
Just after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Florida’s 15-week abortion ban took effect in July 2022.
Despite several legal challenges, that 15-week ban was upheld by the Florida Supreme Court in April 2024 – clearing the way for an even more restrictive 6-week abortion ban to go into effect in May of this year.
Because Amendment 4 is projected to fail, Florida lawmakers maintain the power to regulate abortions in the state.