Ron DeSantis says Florida could become a destination for abortions if Amendment 4 passes

Gov. Ron DeSantis is continuing to attack Florida’s abortion rights initiative, calling the organization backing Amendment 4 a “left-wing group” whose “ads should be taken off the air.”

Speaking in Lake City, DeSantis said he believes Florida will become a destination for people to get abortions if Florida voters support enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution via Amendment 4.

Abortion rights advocates some Floridians are currently traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina, as the nearest place to get access abortion care after the state’s six-week ban went into effect in May. Other women who can’t afford to travel out of state are forced to stay pregnant.

DeSantis also said he believes the proposed constitutional amendment to limit government interference on abortion is intentionally vague, which he said means non-physicians could perform the procedure.

“They have a very clear agenda about what they want that to be. It says health care provider instead of physician,” DeSantis said. “You don’t even have to have a medical license to be able to be greenlighting late-term abortions all the way up to the moment of birth. That’s insane. I don’t think any other state has done that. … That cannot be undone by legislation if that is to pass.”

The Amendment 4 campaign did not immediately respond to DeSantis’ comments on Tuesday afternoon when Florida Politics reached out for comment.

Meanwhile, the group backing Amendment 4 announced Tuesday a statewide ad campaign featuring a 30-second spot that says most women don’t know they are pregnant before the state’s six-week ban. The ad called Florida’s policy “an extreme ban with no real exceptions.”

“These left-wing groups are lying to you about what their amendment means about Florida law. Why would you trust them to vote for this left-wing amendment?” DeSantis countered. “I think actually some of these ads should be taken off the air because they’re totally contrary to what the statute is. But I think voters are going to be able to figure this all out, and they’ll know kind of what the facts are.”

There are exceptions to Florida’s current ban that require rape, incest and human trafficking victims who got pregnant to provide proof of the crimes against them with police report, restraining order or a 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.

Amendment 4 is leading to a fiercely contested political battle between reproductive rights and the DeSantis administration. The ballot question requires at least 60% of the vote to pass. Amendment 4 backers are bracing for a razor thin margin to decide the outcome.

DeSantis reiterated his claims Tuesday that some of the petitions collected to put Amendment 4 on the ballot are fraudulent.

“They had submitted petitions on behalf of dead voters. That has been substantiated,” DeSantis said. “We now know that there are signatures that have been accepted by some of the Supervisors that don’t match the voter file, so they are investigating this, as they should.”

Proponents are accusing DeSantis of being heavy-handed and weaponizing the state to fight against Amendment 4. 

Democrats also called DeSantis’ accusations a witch hunt and said there has been no prior proof of improper petitions. They also pointed out that the signature verification process went through the Supervisor of Elections Offices and the Secretary of State, a group that includes Republican elected officials and a DeSantis appointee. 

“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.”