(Oregon Right to Life) — Former U.S. President Donald Trump assuaged pro-life worries Friday when he affirmed he’d vote “no” on a ballot initiative in his home state of Florida that would enshrine a “right” to abortion in the state constitution. Trump’s statement comes after he previously gave an unclear answer that led some to think he would vote “yes” on the proposal.
Trump, who has criticized Florida’s current law protecting the unborn after six weeks gestation as being “too harsh,” said ahead of a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Friday that Florida’s proposed Amendment 4 is too extreme and would legalize abortion up to the moment of birth.
“I’ll be voting no for that reason,” he told a Fox News reporter.
Florida’s Amendment 4 would add language to the state constitution prohibiting the passage of any law that would “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.” Pro-life advocates point out that the vague language would essentially legalize abortion through all stages of pregnancy.
Dr. Mary J. O’Sullivan, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami Medical School and president of “Vote No On 4 Florida,” said that “[b]y allowing any so-called ‘healthcare provider’ – not just doctors – to determine fetal viability and approve late-term abortions, Amendment 4 essentially gives abortion clinics a rubber stamp to approve abortions in the third trimester, up to and including the last month of pregnancy.”
Pro-life advocates who had been sharply critical of Trump’s movement away from pro-life priorities in recent months praised the former president for his Friday decision.
“Thank you, [Donald Trump]!” Live Action founder and president Lila Rose said on X. “Please help the great people of Florida defeat this horrific amendment!”
“If Trump starts talking like former President Trump who at the March for Life said ‘Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and sanctity of every human life,’ he may just win this election,” Rose added.
Other pro-life leaders who have consistently raised the alarm about Kamala Harris’ pro-abortion extremism in comparison to Trump’s positions, even those that have fallen short of pro-life hopes, also commended Trump for taking a stand against the proposed amendment.
“We thank President Donald Trump for announcing he will vote no on Amendment 4,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a Friday press release. “President Trump is absolutely right, Amendment 4 is a radical measure that would force taxpayers to fund abortion, eliminate parental rights, take women’s health protections off the books and allow abortion throughout all of pregnancy – even in the seventh, eighth and ninth months.”
“The Left’s all-trimester abortion amendment poses a major threat to unborn children, women and girls,” Danenfelser continued. “We must all fight diligently from now until election day. The only way Amendment 4 passes is if voters are unaware of its impacts. We thank President Trump for shedding light on how extreme this measure is and call on all Republican leaders in Florida to follow the president’s example.”
Trump’s decision to vote “no” on the Florida ballot initiative comes as the former president has earned displeasure from pro-life advocates in recent months for moving to the left on the abortion issue, including backing access to the abortion pill mifepristone and pledging government or mandated insurance coverage of IVF treatments. His running mate, J.D. Vance, has said Trump would veto a federal abortion ban.
READ: Trump’s Abortion Positions Draw Pro-Life Criticism
Pro-life advocates who have pushed back against Trump for his abortion positions in recent months have seen Trump’s clear decision to vote “no” on the ballot initiative as an indication that their voices were heard. They are urging pro-life advocates to continue to speak out on behalf of the unborn.
Florida voters will decide whether or not to greenlight the abortion ballot initiative in the November general election.
The proposal will need 60% supermajority approval to pass.
