Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida onto an amicus brief that aims to put abortion law into the hands of the states.
“Gov. DeSantis believes in the sanctity of life and the protection of the unborn. The Governor endorses the arguments laid out in the amicus brief that he signed on to,” a spokesperson for the Governor wrote in a statement.
The arguments laid out in the brief aren’t about when life begins, as most abortion debates are; instead, the brief argues that whether or not to ban abortion should be a decision left up to the states, a process the brief labeled as “de-constitutionalizing” abortion.
“Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process,” the brief stated.
The brief argued that varying abortion laws throughout the country would give states the freedom to test new ideas.
“Giving the States freedom to enact different ideas allows States to see what may work (or not work) for them and for States to learn from each other, as scientific knowledge of fetal development advances,” read the brief.
The brief said if people don’t like what their state governments decide to do about abortion, they have the power to vote lawmakers out of office.
“And if voters do not like what a legislature does, then they have democracy’s ultimate check: the ballot box.”
DeSantis joins 12 other Republican Governors who signed onto the brief about the case of Donna V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
In that case, Jackson Women’s Health Organization is challenging the constitutionality of a law Mississippi passed in 2018 that bans abortions after the 15th week of the pregnancy.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case next year. A ruling could upend Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two important rulings that shaped abortion law in the U.S.
Evening Reads
“The 4 main fault lines that divide the vaccinated and the unvaccinated” via Umair Ifran of Vox
“Please don’t rush to get a third COVID-19 shot” via Melody Schreiber of The New Republic
“Why did a Republican Senator ask a Joe Biden nominee if he believes in God?” via Mark Joseph Stern of Slate
“China cracks down on its tech giants. Sound familiar?” via Jennifer Conrad of WIRED
“The consulting business booms just as consultants disappear” via Matthew Boyle of Bloomberg
“The MyPillow guy really could destroy democracy” via Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic
“I know all about condo living. Change is coming.” via David B. Haber for The New York Times
“‘Broke again’: Child tax credit payments collide with debt and eviction for working families” via Kyle Swenson of The Washington Post
“Unrest and economic underperformance haunt the emerging world” via The Economist
“Florida Wildlife Corridor subverted by a gold-medal Tallahassee switcheroo” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix
“On Earth, things evolve into crabs — could the same be true in space?” via Doug Johnson of Ars Technica
Quote of the Day
“The only reason I can even fathom of why we’re not doing them is because they don’t want to recognize the current trajectory of our spike and where the numbers are going.” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, on the suspension of daily COVID-19 updates.
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