Gabrielle Russon
The Florida Supreme Court has ruled against abortion rights advocates who were fighting to overturn a controversial financial impact statement appearing under Amendment 4 on the November ballot.
Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, called the ruling “excellent news.”
“The Supreme Court made a decisive move by ruling the financial impact statement will appear on the ballot for Amendment 4,” she said in a prepared statement. “This ensures voters know the truth about the dangerous and deceptive Amendment 4 — including opening the door for taxpayer-funded abortions, when the baby can feel pain and reinforcing the truth and facts the ACLU authors don’t want voters to know.”
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the group backing Amendment 4 argued that the financial impact statement was misleading and a dirty political trick to dissuade voters from supporting the initiative. They challenged the statement in court, but with Wednesday’s court ruling, their lawsuit was dismissed.
“Adding a deceptive financial impact statement to deliberately confuse voters is a shameful attempt to hide the fact that Florida law currently bans abortion before many women know they are pregnant with no exceptions for rape, incest or a woman’s health,” Yes on 4 Campaign Director Lauren Brenzel said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
“It’s ‘Yes’ on 4 no matter what because Amendment 4 will provide critical healthcare protections to limit government interference so doctors can do their jobs and provide abortion care to their patients.”
The contest for Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, is expected to be tight and both sides are pushing for any advantage.
Amendment 4 needs at least 60% support in order to pass. One recent poll projected Amendment 4 would pass; another showed it failing. A large number of voters are also undecided.
The financial impact statement partially says: “The proposed amendment would result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida. The increase in abortions could be even greater if the amendment invalidates laws requiring parental consent before minors undergo abortions and those ensuring only licensed physicians perform abortions. There is also uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds. Litigation to resolve those and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government.”
“The Florida Supreme Court made the right decision by approving the financial impact statement that will appear on the ballot with Amendment 4,” said Sara Johnson, Vote No on 4 Statewide Grassroots Director, in a statement Thursday.
“This statement advises voters that Amendment 4 could result in taxpayer-funded abortions and would allow abortions to be performed on minors without a parent’s consent — information that Florida voters deserve to know and that the extremists who wrote Amendment 4 are attempting to hide.”
A state panel — which included a representative from DeSantis’ Office and a staff member from the Heritage Foundation, the conservative group behind Project 2025 — wrote the statement last month.
18 comments
Dont Say FLA
August 21, 2024 at 1:02 pm
MAGA: “Leave it to the states”
States: “Yeahhhh, we actually wanted that thing you took away”
MAGA: Shuck, jive, and make some shit up
Hung Wiil
August 23, 2024 at 1:41 pm
Excellent news. The stupid and vague and deceptive language should never have been approved in the first place.
Run scared Don’t Say Ye.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 7:22 am
Of course the economic impact statement should never have been approved. The economic impact is relative to a total unknown which is the economic impact of Rhonda’s new total ban on abortion dressed up as a so-called “6 week ban”
While I agree not to say Ye along with FLA, what am I supposed to run from and/or be scared of? Is your mom yelling down the basement stairs again?
Financial Impact
August 21, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Key phrase, “in Florida,” meaning an assumed fantastical alternative of Florida’s women not getting their abortions elsewhere, thus incurring their own financial penalty of travel and lodging.
Florida’s GOP is completely full of it. They got to go now. Let’s vote them out and then let’s put the reset button and start Florida over, making Florida great again like it was prior to the GOP running the state.
Richard Paula. Sr.
August 21, 2024 at 1:54 pm
The “Free” State of Florida. Bull Poop! Yeah free to buy into Ron DeSantis dystopian world.
Michael S
August 21, 2024 at 2:47 pm
Obviously, educated proponents of this initiative will not be dissuaded by bureaucratic boilerplate.
No doubt the MAGA-minded might buy this line, but they have already bought into far more specious drivel, so they are a no-vote anyway.
Lauren Brenzel, as Michelle Obama said last night, when a setback occurs, don’t pause, rather “Do something”. Get Ariana Grande and Ashley Greene to get a supportive tweet out, rent a couple of billboards on I-95 with “Vote Yes—Amendment 4” signed Jennifer Lopez and Billie Eilish.
Hung Wiil
August 23, 2024 at 1:43 pm
Billy Eyelash. How stupid just like you. Tool.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 5:42 pm
Billy Eyelash is the nickname Trump uses for his
“roommate”running mate Jessica Darlynn Pantscassandra was right
August 26, 2024 at 7:31 pm
Excellent ideas! It would be wonderful for loved and respected celebrities like these women to get involved this way.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 7:26 am
Stupid Rhonda and Stupid Assley are clueless that if the succeed in torpedoing this initiative the way Turnip Truck torpedoed the bipartisan border bill that was passing Congress for a permanent, law based fix for the border, Rhonda and Assley will get voted out just like Turnip Truck got voted out and then the people will be allowed to exercise their Constitutional right to vote despite Rhonda and Assley and even Mitch McConnell’s useful idiot, Turnip Truck himself, would prefer that we don’t.
Billy Nash
August 22, 2024 at 10:57 am
This is lunacy coming from Tallahassee where little Ron has refused federal money to feed kids over the summers and expand Medicaid. How is that foster child program working Ron? Women know what is best for their own health, bodies and families and it is not up to Tallahassee to decide. Its’ between her, her God and her Doctor to decide.
Hung Wiil
August 23, 2024 at 1:57 pm
We don’t all have the same God?
Are there multiple God’s.
Rick Whitaker
August 26, 2024 at 7:02 pm
HUNG WIIL, there is no god you fool. god is a fairy tale
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 7:28 am
There are an infinite number of Gods, Mr Lil. If you think that’s untrue, go for it: Prove there are not.
Delusions
August 25, 2024 at 2:19 pm
Child rejection with kill it in the minds. Nice parents
Casual partnership is not nature in reality for some porn sweat
Dale A Arnold
August 26, 2024 at 3:03 am
“Free state of Florida” unless you have a uterus are lgbtq, teach black history or a student looking to read a book the “free state” doesn’t like!
As Tim Walz says ” mind your own #&*$@ business”…
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 7:28 am
I think that slogan is actually “Flee State of Florida”
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 7:30 am
Or is it “Flea State of Florida” … Somebody get a big ass NexGard for America!
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