Gabrielle Russon
The political committee behind Amendment 4 has launched a second commercial featuring a doctor voicing his concerns about Florida’s six-week abortion ban and his helplessness to assist pregnant women.
“It’s the hardest conversation I have with patients, telling them that their baby won’t make it, and now, because of Florida’s extreme abortion ban, I also have to tell them I can’t help,” Jerry Goodman, a doctor from Sarasota, says in the new commercial.
“The ban forces women to wait until the brink of death to get care and could send doctors like me to prison just for treating my patients. That’s terrifying, and it’s why I’m voting “yes” on 4 to end the ban so the government can’t stop women from getting life-saving care.”
The new ad out Friday is part of Floridians Protecting Freedom’s multimillion-dollar ad campaign to build support for the abortion rights initiative. The group declined to say this week how much it’s spending on the ads with the Nov. 5 election less than two months away.
Amendment 4 supporters are caught in a fierce fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies, who are calling the proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights vaguely written with the potential to deregulate the industry.
Angeli Akey, a Gainesville doctor who is part of Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4, spoke out Wednesday during an Orlando press conference.
Akey said she was concerned that Amendment 4 would make it more possible for women to get elective abortions later in pregnancy because she argued the ballot initiative was too broad.
“I can honestly say I have never had one patient, one woman, ever say she regret keeping her baby,” she said.
Reproductive rights supporters argue most women don’t know they are pregnant until after a six-week ban takes effect, which means Florida has a near total abortion ban.
The Amendment 4 ballot question says, “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 healthcare provider.”
Viability is the point when an unborn child can survive outside the womb and is considered to be about 24 weeks.
“The amendment is clear that if an abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s health, the government can’t stop that from happening,” ACLU of Florida attorney Michelle Morton said this week during a media call with the Amendment 4 campaign.
4 comments
Deplorable Pinellas
September 13, 2024 at 3:32 pm
Lies. medical abortions were never banned when the mothers health is at risk. Propaganda.
JD
September 13, 2024 at 4:04 pm
It’s becoming clearer with each comment like this that the tactics from Christina Pushaw’s playbook are being deployed here—likely with the help of paid shills from overseas operations, like those we’ve seen in places such as Vietnam, Belarus, and Laos. If you’re a genuine individual and not part of this misinformation campaign, let me break down the facts for you.
Claiming that “medical abortions were never banned when the mother’s health is at risk” completely ignores the broader issue at hand. Yes, exceptions may exist in life-threatening cases, but restrictive laws, like Florida’s six-week abortion ban, make it nearly impossible for most people to access the procedure before they even know they’re pregnant. The majority of pregnancies aren’t confirmed until after six weeks, so this restriction is a de facto ban for many.
And let’s be real—these laws aren’t about protecting health or rights; they’re about limiting access. Suggesting that exceptions for medical emergencies somehow make the law “fair” is not just misleading; it’s a deliberate attempt to downplay the real barriers these laws create for those seeking healthcare.
Throwing around words like “propaganda” doesn’t change the fact that these laws place undue burdens on healthcare providers, who are still bound by strict regulations, like only licensed professionals being able to perform abortions. It’s not the free-for-all some like to claim, and no one is advocating for random, unqualified individuals to perform medical procedures.
In short, don’t fall for the propaganda being pushed by those with an agenda that has nothing to do with safeguarding anyone’s health and everything to do with controlling bodily autonomy.
Cindy
September 13, 2024 at 3:50 pm
I believe in mercy… It’s in the old way.. old old ways
cassandra was right
September 13, 2024 at 6:38 pm
Thank you Dr Goodman for sharing your experiences with Florida’s extreme abortion ban. Women and doctors are reporting the same suffering, fear, and frustration throughout the country since Trump’s handpicked SCOTUS’ overturned Roe. Abortion decisions must be made between the woman and her doctor, not the government.
Religious social clubs—such as the FPAA4—are fine as long as they don’t try to practice medicine on other physicians’ patients. Free speech is for all! But Akey’s attitude and ignorance are particularly insulting to women! It is truly inappropriate (wrong!) for a medical professional to insinuate that women are just on a frivolous whim deciding to get an abortion! There is no place in the discussion for anti-woman hate speech like Akey’s.
Akey’s statement also shows the dangerous lack of logic and understanding that we so often hear from religious fundamentalists, as in: “I can honestly say I have never had one patient, one woman, ever say she regret keeping her baby,” That’s the result of Roe! Not a reason to ban abortion, Akey!
It’s about FREEDOM from government intrusion!
Vote YES on 4