Tony Dungy urges Floridians to vote against Amendment 4: 'Literally a matter of life and death'
A former professional football coach and outspoken Christian is urging Florida voters to reject a ballot measure that would establish a constitutional right to abortion in the state, describing it as “literally a matter of life and death.”
Former National Football League Coach Tony Dungy posted a video on X Monday urging residents of Florida to vote against Amendment 4, which would establish a constitutional right to abortion in the state. Dungy urged his fellow Floridians to “read this amendment very carefully before you vote.”
“I’m convinced if you read it carefully, you will join me in voting 'No,'” he said. “Amendment 4 was strategically written to be vague and deceptive, giving voters little information about its sweeping impact.”
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Noting how, if approved by voters, the measure would amend the state constitution to read, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability,” Dungy expressed concern that the proposed constitutional amendment “never states when that is.” The term “viability” is used to describe the stage in a pregnancy when a preborn baby can survive outside the womb.
Dungy suggested that the failure to define “viability” could result in abortions being performed as late as 36 weeks into a pregnancy, which is almost full term.
“Under Amendment 4, viability is not defined in law or determined by doctors but decided by ‘healthcare providers,’” he warned. Dungy maintained that the term “healthcare providers” could apply to “employees of abortion clinics who are not doctors.”
“The bottom line is, if Amendment 4 passes, there would be no time limit, allowing for late-term abortions when science says that the baby can feel pain,” he said. Dungy reflected on the portion of the amendment allowing abortions after viability “when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Dungy condemned the vagueness of the term “health,” inquiring as to whether it applied to “physical health, mental health [or] emotional health” and “how serious must that health concern be.”
He added, “It doesn’t say, but allows the same healthcare providers at abortion clinics to make that determination.”
“And while Amendment 4 says that it leaves in place laws that require parental notification, it fails to inform voters that it overturns Florida’s law requiring parental consent, making abortion the only medical procedure that can be performed on a minor without the parents’ permission,” he warned.
Dungy pointed to the fallout of the passage of a similar ballot measure in his home state of Michigan as a reason why voters should oppose Amendment 4, highlighting how lawyers are “using that amendment to sue the state of Michigan to force taxpayers to fund elective abortions” through Medicaid. “The same could easily happen here if Amendment 4 passes,” he asserted.
“I believe that all mothers deserve healthcare and protection. Florida’s current laws provide exceptions to allow abortions in cases of rape, incest or to protect the health and life of the mother,” Dungy declared. “But I also believe that all babies in the womb are actual lives in God’s eyes, and those babies deserve protection too.”
Dungy concluded the video by expressing confidence that “we can protect the health of mothers and protect the lives of babies with a better solution that doesn’t have so many loopholes and uncertainties,” adding, “Never before have we been asked to vote on something that is literally a matter of life and death.”
Stressing that “that is what Amendment 4 comes down to,” Dungy called on his fellow Floridians to “please join me in defending life by voting 'No' on Amendment 4.”
At the end of the video, viewers see the logo for Apologetics, Inc. The organization characterizes its mission as being to “show why Christianity is true and satisfying and equip Christians to share this news with creativity and clarity” by engaging in discipleship, outreach and content creation with the goal of creating “a generation captivated and transformed by Christianity.”
Throughout the video, the words “Know the Truth” appear multiple times, with the letters “N” and “O” in red along with the words “on 4” directly below. The presence of those words is based on the premise that if voters “know the truth,” they will vote “No on 4.”
The most recent public opinion polling shows conflicting signals as to whether or not Amendment 4 will secure the votes necessary for passage. A poll of 977 likely voters conducted by the University of North Florida from Oct. 7-18 found that 60% of respondents planned to vote for Amendment 4, while 38% intended to reject it.
While the University of North Florida poll predicts that Amendment 4 will just barely reach the 60% threshold required to pass, a survey of 622 likely Florida voters conducted by The New York Times and Siena College from Sept. 29-Oct. 6 measured support for the pro-abortion ballot measure at just 46% while pegging opposition to it at 38%.
If passed, Amendment 4 would nullify the six-week abortion ban on the books in Florida that includes exceptions allowing abortions later in pregnancy in order to protect the life or health of the mother or in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking. Women can also have abortions later in pregnancy if their baby is determined to have a fatal fetal anomaly.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion, voters in several states have passed measures establishing rights to abortion in their respective state constitutions. Voters in California, Michigan and Vermont approved referendums establishing constitutional rights to abortion in 2022 while Ohio followed suit in 2023.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
