Sarasota County Commissioners Oppose Abortion Ballot Change

The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday passed a resolution by a 4-1 vote against Amendment 4, which is scheduled to be put to a vote in November and would significantly relax Florida's strict abortion ban.

The commission asked District Attorney Joshua Moye to draft the resolution at a meeting in Venice on August 27 in response to a public statement condemning abortion.

Commissioner Mark Smith was the only one to vote against the resolution, which he said was unnecessary and outside the board's jurisdiction.

“I'm pro-life, but I'm also pro-life for the mother. There are issues with incest and rape and maternal health, and I don't think the amendment or the resolution solves those issues,” Smith said.