Editor’s note. This appears at the Population Research Institute.

Florida’s government is putting out warnings that the abortion amendment on the ballot this November could hurt the state’s economy. The “Limiting Government Interference with Abortion Amendment,” or more simply, “Amendment 4,” would mandate that “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 health care provider,” if passed. This week, Florida’s Financial Impact Estimating Conference approved a “financial impact” statement that will be printed on the ballot alongside this amendment.

The statement details an official analysis of the economic impact the amendment would have on Floridians if passed. It states that the amendment would “result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida,” which “may negatively affect the growth of state and local revenues over time.” It goes on to include that there is “uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds” and that “litigation to resolve those and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government and state courts that will negatively impact the state budget.”