We talked with Dr. Mariana Girón, a board-certified family medicine physician and medical director of LifeChoices Family Medical, about why she urges everyone to vote no on Amendment 4.

Question: The 34-word Amendment 4 fails to define any of its terms, including crucial words like “healthcare provider.” Under this language who could determine if an abortion is “necessary”?

Dr. Girón: Virtually anyone who provides any type of clinical care at a healthcare facility: nurses, medical assistants, mental health counselors, pharmacists, etc. It is determined by local hospital standards, based on the level of newborn care that is available. In general, babies are considered to be viable after 24 weeks gestation. However, there are babies who are born before 24 weeks who do survive if they receive adequate medical care. Again, this is a very complex question that is best answered by experts in the field. In this case, a neonatologist would be the best provider to make this decision.

Question: If passed, would Amendment 4 allow abortions throughout the entire pregnancy, even when the baby can feel the pain of the procedure?

Dr. Girón: Absolutely. Amendment 4 would allow for late-term abortions up to 40 weeks for potentially treatable, temporary health concerns. Since there is no requirement for a medical doctor to make this decision, I foresee a situation where a mental health counselor could approve a late-term abortion in a woman
with an unplanned pregnancy to “protect” the patient from a major depressive episode, even though an abortion itself is a potentially traumatic event that could lead to mental health issues in the future for this patient.

Question: Amendment 4 says “This amendment does not change the Legislature's constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.” Can you explain the difference between a parent giving consent versus a parent being notified about their minor child’s medical procedure and what this language would actually allow?

Dr. Girón: A parent giving consent is very different from a parent being notified about their child’s medical procedure. Under Amendment 4, the parent would potentially be notified only after the abortion, which would completely undermine the parent’s involvement in this difficult and life-changing procedure. This would make abortion the only medical procedure that does not require parental consent, even though most minors are not developmentally mature to make these types of decisions. Parents have the best interest of their children in mind, and eliminating their involvement would be incredibly detrimental.

Question: Would abortion be illegal in Florida if Amendment 4 does not pass?

Dr. Girón: No, abortion would still be legal in Florida until a heartbeat is detected. The law currently provides exceptions for fatal fetal diagnosis, to save the life of the patient, or for victims of rape, incest, or human trafficking.