Abortion rights campaign goes on the offensive with multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign

Two months from the November election, the abortion rights ballot initiative campaign is launching a multimillion-dollar statewide ad blitz telling voters that Florida’s current six-week abortion ban is too extreme.

“Before many women know they’re pregnant, before their first appointment, before a doctor can see anything on an ultrasound, this is when government in Florida has banned abortion — an extreme ban with no real exceptions, not for her health, not even for rape,” the 30-second advertisement said. “That’s why Florida must vote ‘yes’ on 4 to stop the dangerous ban, because government will never know better than a woman and her doctor.”

The ads are airing in “the most populated TV markets in the state” as well as on online platforms, the campaign said Tuesday.

Amendment 4 seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. To pass, it needs at least 60% of the vote.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group behind Amendment 4, has raised $48 million and spent $26 million since April 2023. The organization has been fueled by both grassroots support as well as by progressive groups and health care providers like Planned Parenthood.

A pro-life opposition group called the new ads misleading because the state’s six-week abortion ban does allow for exceptions.

For instance, rape, incest and human trafficking victims who got pregnant can get abortions until 15 weeks of pregnancy if they show evidence of the crimes committed against them, such as a police report, restraining order or medical report. Two physicians can also say in writing that an abortion is necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life, another exemption written into state law.

“Yes on 4 has resorted to lies and desperation. Their claim that Florida has no abortion exceptions is a blatant lie,” said Taryn Feske, a former Gov. Ron DeSantis spokesperson now involved with Vote No on 4 Florida.

“The truth about what would happen if Amendment 4 passes is so much worse: It would allow abortion at any time, for almost any reason, open the door for taxpayer-funded abortions, and gives any so-called health care providers, even abortion clinic employees who are not doctors, the ability to approve abortions until birth.”

Amendment 4 faces staunch opposition from the DeSantis administration.

A state government health agency launched a website in opposition to Amendment 4. According to media reports, some Florida residents said election police knocked on their doors to investigate whether petitions they signed to help put the abortion rights on the ballot were fraudulent.

DeSantis said there have been signatures collected on behalf of dead people and signatures that didn’t match their voter registration.

“Our tolerance in the state of Florida for any type of election related fraud is zero. We are not going to put up with it,” DeSantis said Monday.

Democrats accused DeSantis of going on a witch hunt and inappropriately using state taxpayer resources against the ballot initiative.

The abortion rights campaign knows it needs support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass in what’s expected to be a tight election. Campaign leaders have said that Amendment 4 is a health care issue, not a political one.

“The bottom line is, the Florida government is trying to decide what you should do with your body, not you,” said Lauren Brenzel, Campaign Director for the Yes on 4 campaign. “This multi-million dollar paid media campaign will remind Floridians — who supported this amendment across party lines — that the State is meddling with our personal decisions and make clear what is at stake and how the current abortion ban is greatly harming the lives of many Floridians.”