Tony Dungy is urging Floridians to vote “no” this November on Amendment 4, arguing it “would radically change the abortion landscape in Florida.” The vocal Christian and NFL Hall of Fame coach said the vote is “literally a matter of life and death.”
“I urge you to read this amendment very carefully before you vote. I’m convinced if you read it carefully, you will join me in voting no,” Dungy said in a video posted to X on Monday, Oct. 21.
Dungy said the amendment “was strategically written to be vague and deceptive, giving voters little information about its sweeping impact.”
Early voting opens in Florida this week and I urge all Florida residents to carefully read Amendment 4 before casting your vote. If you read through all the language you’ll see this amendment would radically change the abortion landscape in Florida. We need to protect all lives… pic.twitter.com/6Pq9EJtKf6
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 21, 2024
Tony Dungy: Vote ‘No’ on Florida Amendment 4
The amendment, which Dungy said is called the “Right to Abortion Initiative,” is sponsored by the political committee, Floridians Protecting Freedom. The amendment states:
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.
Dungy’s first objection to the amendment is that it does not define “viability,” leaving interpretation open, he said, to 12 weeks, 24 weeks, or even 36 weeks. Central Florida Public Media (CFPM) reports that Florida has a state statute that defines “viability” as “the stage of fetal development when the life of a fetus is sustainable outside the womb through standard medical measures.”
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Second, Dungy took issue with the phrase, “healthcare provider,” because that term “could include employees of abortion clinics who are not doctors.”
CFPM also reports that state law defines what a healthcare provider is but acknowledged that included in that list are “a physician assistant, a registered nurse, a nurse midwife, a licensed practical nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed.”
Also included in the state statute’s list of healthcare providers are “a health care professional association and its employees or a corporate medical group and its employees.” Currently, a physician is required to be present during an abortion.
