Floridians rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights before fetal viability. Amendment 4 is now the first state level measure to protect abortion access to fail since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs vs. Jackson decision in 2022, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.
Amendment 4 needed 60% support to pass and become a part of Florida’s constitution. The state’s 6-week abortion ban will remain in place.
Since Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion has become a significant issue on state ballots. In the 2024 election, voters in 10 states are deciding on abortion-related measures. These states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.
Abortion rights groups significantly outspent their opponents in these campaigns, raising more than $160 million. That total is nearly six times what anti-abortion groups raised. In Florida alone, proponents of the abortion rights measure have raised over $75 million.
Advocates had previously prevailed on all seven ballot measures that have gone before voters since the Dobbs decision, with many states aiming to enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitutions.
