Florida Amendment 4:

Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

AAUW Florida Supports and Encourages Members to

Vote YES on Florida Amendment 4

Based on our national AAUW policy priorities, AAUW Florida supports choice in determining one’s reproductive life. Amendment 4 ensures Florida women will have reproductive freedoms and we encourage our members to vote YES on 4 in this November election. 

AAUW Florida trusts that everyone can make their own informed choices about their reproductive lives within the dictates of their own moral and religious beliefs. Further, we believe that these deeply personal decisions should be made without government interference. 

Currently women in Florida have very limited reproductive freedoms. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which had established abortion as a constitutionally protected right, was overturned on June 24, 2022 by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In Florida, on May 1, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill approved by the Florida Legislature to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law further requires a 24-hour mandatory waiting period and a ban on using telemedicine for abortion consultations. Patients must attend two in-person appointments, one for a consultation and another for the procedure at least one day later.

Abortion access is vital to women’s ability to control their lives, bodies and futures. The overturning of Roe v Wade, and the current Florida abortion laws, harm everyone, and especially low-income people, women of color, immigrants, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people, as these groups already face substantial barriers to accessing reproductive services and health care. Moreover, reproductive freedoms lead to improvements in women’s health care and economic security. The ability to control when to start a family has been linked to significant increases in women’s wages and increased likelihood of educational attainment. Amendment 4 ensures that women have reproductive choice up before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.

We believe that it is imperative that Florida women have reproductive freedoms and AAUW Florida fully supports Amendment 4.

Florida Amendment 1: 

Amendment to make School Board Elections Partisan 

Florida Amendment 1- Partisan School Board Elections Amendment would require school board candidates to disclose their political party. It would apply to elections during and after November 2026, as well as primaries leading up to the general election that year.

AAUW Florida Supports and Encourages Members to

Vote NO on Florida Amendment 1

With our historical commitment to the benefits of learning, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) takes a strong interest in public education. As expressed in our member-approved Public Policy Priorities, we believe in “high-quality public education as the foundation of a democratic society and the key to improving economic prosperity and gender equality.” For this reason, AAUW of Florida opposes Amendment 1.

Amendment 1, proposed by the Florida Legislature, would require “members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election.” Proponents claim it will enhance transparency. This is unnecessary. When a political party chooses to make certain positions a part of its platform, it is already easy to see when a school board candidate espouses those positions. 

AAUW believes that a high-quality education must be as bias-free as possible. If parties prepare and fund candidates for school boards, there is an incentive to select people who will further their partisan aims by promoting policies that prepare future voters for that party’s candidates. Public education cannot be subverted into promoting the policies, views of society, or versions of history, of any party.

Public education is the foundation for a democratic society because, when of high quality, it develops well-educated voters who understand our shared values. The shared values of Americans, including respect for others’ individuality, honesty, and a work ethic, cannot be allowed to become the property of any political party. 

We believe that school boards must remain nonpartisan and AAUW Florida opposes Amendment 1.



AAUW Florida is funding mission-based programs or project ideas ranging from $100 to $1500 to support the women and girls achieve their full potential. Prepare and submit your proposal today ahead of the upcoming October 1 deadline. Proposals must have a direct community impact and align with AAUW-FL’s purposes.  

Questions? Contact Diana Sells, Director for Program.