Collier County Commission formally condemns pro-abortion ballot initiative
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – The Collier County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday that condemns a pro-abortion ballot initiative to protect access constitutionally in Florida.
Commissioner Chairman Chris Hall proposed the resolution, which unanimously passed Tuesday with a 5-0 vote.
The resolution cited the pro-abortion ballot initiative, Amendment 4, which is titled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,” and will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
“The Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida expresses its strong opposition to Amendment 4,” the resolution stated.
The proposed amendment aims to grant a state constitutional entitlement to abortion prior to fetal viability, estimated at approximately 24 weeks gestational age, or when deemed essential for the patient’s well-being, as assessed by their healthcare provider.
The ballot initiative would amend the Florida Constitution by adding the following:
“Limiting government interference with abortion.— Except as provided in Article X, Section 22, 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.”
Collier Commission’s resolution stated that the proposed amendment is “vague, deceptive, and overbroad.” It said the amendment would “strike already enacted protections” in Florida by “broadening the definition of healthcare providers to those not medically licensed, eliminating parental consent for minors, and allowing the life of the unborn to be taken right up to the moment of birth.”
“The board believes that the passage of Amendment 4 would be detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Collier County and the State of Florida,” the resolution stated.
Commissioner Rick LoCastro said during Tuesday’s meeting that he is “really appreciative, but also really disappointed” in some of the feedback the commissioners received from citizens regarding the resolution.
“The emails that say, ‘I can’t believe five old men just decided what women should do with their bodies,’ that’s not what happened up here,” LoCastro said. “I didn’t tell anybody ‘go to the polls and vote,’ this will probably pass.”
LoCastro said he told people to “vote their conscience, vote their opinion,” but to “know the details of the fine print.”
“I was proud to voice my personal views today, but I respect the views of others, and that’s why it’s on the ballot,” LoCastro said. “But as we often see, sometimes people don’t do their due diligence, and they think they’re voting for something very specific, and they are, it’s just not the specific thing that they actually understand.”
Florida’s current law bans abortion after six weeks, also known as the Heartbeat Protection Act.
