AbleChild Required to Take a Stand to Defeat “Proposition 4” in Florida General Election
August 25, 2024
Both Sides of the Issue
Say Yes to 4.
Say NO to 4 for us!
When AbleChild helped pass the first law of its kind on informed consent and psychiatric drugs, “the prohibition on mandatory medication” that is attached to the Individuals with Disability Act (IDEA), just talking about the wrongful and dangerous use of psychiatric drugs on children was taboo. But the issue crossed all political lines and became what AbleChild considered a human rights violation. Today, a piece of legislation is making its way through the Florida legislature that AbleChild feels compelled to speak about – Amendment 4 “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.”
AbleChild has a history of standing up for issues of Informed Consent. The organization worked with a Democrat Governor, House, and Senate in Connecticut to pass a measure that would get the 1-800 MEDWATCH number placed on all prescription drugs so that consumers would have the ability to report side effects to the only “consumer driven” program that monitors drug safety. AbleChild strongly believes in open conversations, where no issues are off the table, even those that are not supported by lawmakers.
AbleChild long has been told its efforts were wasted, that Connecticut would never support legislation regarding informed consent. Those naysayers were wrong. Informed Consent is part of AbleChild’s mission statement, and it will never back away from any fight to provide informed consent to those most in need who cannot fight for themselves.
Right now, in Florida, AbleChild is happy to stand up for Informed Consent. The proposed action, “Amendment 4,” to the State Constitution in Florida would allow healthcare practitioners, including school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, and even dental hygienists to recommend abortion for your child without parental consent. In essence, this legislative amendment would take away a parent’s right to informed consent as it pertains to their child’s healthcare. AbleChild stands strongly against any limitation on informed consent, especially any that would put a child in harm’s way.
The proposed Florida constitutional amendment 4 on abortion has sparked significant controversy, particularly regarding its implications for informed consent. This amendment, if passed, would introduce alarming changes to the State’s approach to medical ethics. And many are concerned about the vague and apparent misleading language that could limit information about treatment options, potential risks and complications and withholding detail about fetal development and viability.
In other words, Informed Consent is completely ignored when all the information is not made available. The information in Amendment 4 being left out and vaguely written is not by accident. There are reasons that those supporting Amendment 4 prefer that parents are left out of the decision-making process. Children are easily influenced and could be coerced into decisions they are incapable of making due to age, education and experience.
AbleChild fully supports parental Informed Consent in all issues involving the health and well-being of children. Fundamental principles of Informed Consent must be respected. Without these basic protections patient autonomy is undermined, and children may be deprived of necessary, even lifesaving medical information. The risk associated with Amendment 4 is a devastating blow to fundamental parental rights of Informed Consent and safe child healthcare.
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