As a radiologist in Miami who performs fetal ultrasounds, many of my patients are pregnant women.

This makes Amendment 4 a personal matter – as personal as the oath I swore when I graduated from medical school – to protect the lives, dignity and health of my patients.

The hundreds of concerned physicians who joined me in forming Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4 feel as much as I do in speaking out against this proposal that would have a devastating impact on our patients for generations to come. They are people who are counting on us to uphold our oath.

I feel there is a lot of misunderstanding about what Amendment 4 would actually mean for our fellow Floridians. The text contains carefully crafted loopholes designed to open the door wide for unrestricted abortion under any circumstances. In short, I think this proposal is deceptively dangerous.

The proposal’s wording is intentionally vague. For example, the amendment states that a woman’s “health care provider” may determine that an abortion is “necessary” at any point during her pregnancy.

Under Florida law, a health care provider is any person, institution, or organization that is legally licensed, certified, or authorized to provide health care services. This includes hospitals, physicians, health centers, clinics, and laboratories. This means that gynecologists and other trained physicians are not the only ones making life and death decisions for women and girls in Florida.

And yes, induced abortion Is dangerous. A woman’s risk of dying from complications during abortion increases as her pregnancy progresses. According to a study by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, her risk of death increases by 38% each week (starting at 8 weeks of pregnancy).

Amendment 4 poses even more risks. Let us take a look at the actual text of the proposal:

The words “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before it is available” exclude and prohibit any regulation that causes even the slightest inconvenience to abortion providers.

The authors of the amendment try to be moderate by adding the phrase “before viability,” but that term is intentionally left vague and undefined. Does the amendment prohibit restrictions on abortions before 20 weeks? 24 weeks? 26 weeks? That is intentionally not stated, leaving the decision to an undefined “health care provider.”

And then comes the biggest gap: “…or when necessary to protect the patient’s health and determined by the patient’s health care provider.”

This is vague not only because the definition of “health care provider” is very loose, but also because the term “health” is not specified, so any condition imaginable can be used as justification, including anxiety or panic attacks or mental health problems.

The second and final sentence of the amendment is an attempt to confuse and mislead Florida voters: “This amendment does not alter the constitutional authority of the Legislature to require notification of a parent or guardian prior to an abortion of a minor.”

The authors of the amendment clearly saw that poll results showed that large majorities oppose any attempt to remove parental consent to abortion, so they included this amendment as a fig leaf to hide their true intentions. But read it again – it does not preserve parental consent; it preserves parental notificationIn theory, the parents are informed about the abortion of their underage daughter, but have no right to prevent it.

Passing Amendment 4 would restrict the right of voters and legislators to change abortion laws. Amendment 4 is bad for women and bad for Florida.

That is why I and hundreds of other Florida physicians oppose this dangerous change and urge our patients and fellow Floridians to stand up, speak out and vote no.

Grazie Pozo Christie is a board-certified radiologist and licensed physician who performs fetal ultrasounds in the Miami area. She is a founding member of Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4. She is also a senior fellow at the Catholic Association. In 2022, she was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Ron DeSantis.