Gabrielle Russon
Gov. Ron DeSantis is making his case to pro-choice voters to reject Amendment 4, as he argues the abortion rights initiative is written vaguely.
DeSantis spoke at an Orlando press conference and addressed the upcoming constitutional amendment that seeks to enshrine abortion rights — a regular conversation topic for the Governor ahead of the November election.
“Look if you’re pro-life, obviously you’re going to vote against this once you figure out what’s in it,” DeSantis said. “But there’s other people, maybe they’re not pro-life, but their view is like, ‘OK, let the mother talk to the physician.’ … The physician doesn’t have to be a part of it under this amendment, how crazy is that?”
“The whole thing is built on fraud,” he add. “If you read that amendment, they don’t define any of the terms that are in the amendment.”
It’s become a war of words — as well as lawsuits and criminal complaints, too — between DeSantis and Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political committee behind Amendment 4.
“Don’t be fooled. We’ve seen this time and time again,” Yes on 4 spokeswoman Lauren Brenzel said in a press call last week. “Government doesn’t want to talk about their abortion ban, so they’re trying to distract you. They’re doing everything they can to suppress the votes and the will of the people.”
Reproductive freedom advocates call Florida’s six-week abortion ban one of the strictest in the country.
Meanwhile, DeSantis continued his attacks against Amendment 4, saying it will deregulate abortion so that doctors are not required to perform the medical procedures.
Amendment 4 backers argue that’s not true and stand by the ballot question’s wording which 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. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
“We don’t want people who aren’t doctors trying to provide medical guidance. That’s the entire point of this initiative,” Brenzel said. “We’re talking about ending an extreme ban that’s putting women in medically dangerous situations, and we’re guiding the people of Florida to trust doctors over politicians with no medical degrees to tell them what medical care looks like.”
DeSantis has repeatedly voiced concern that out-of-state pregnant women will travel to Florida to get abortions if the amendment passes with at least 60% of the vote on Nov. 5.
“What’s going to happen is that will create a lot of bootleg abortion clinics around the state,” DeSantis said Monday. “Remember, we’re in a region of the country where almost every state that borders us has very strong pro-life legislation. You’re going to have people coming, and there’s going to be a lot of people convinced, and people are going to make money off of this.”
11 comments
Dr. Franklin Waters
September 16, 2024 at 2:48 pm
YES ON 4.
Stephen D
September 16, 2024 at 3:03 pm
It’s a tough fight to defeat this pro murder amendment but Floridians must preserve our conservative principles and squash extreme left ideologies. Don’t let the left get away with this one. Support the miracle of life and VOTE NO to Amendment 4 this November.
Ocean Joe
September 16, 2024 at 3:09 pm
If Florida is a red state, and 65 or 66 percent of the voters support this, the “left,” your forever bogeyman, isnt getting away with anything.
You went too far with the 6 week ban. Surprisingly, Floridians dont want to be another Mississippi or Alabama.
Michael
September 16, 2024 at 3:30 pm
To quote Anna Paulina Luna, if your are against women’s reproductive rights,…. “move out of your state. Move elsewhere.”
Cheesy Floridian
September 16, 2024 at 4:05 pm
I understand you feel that this is a bad amendment. Is it right the way that DeSantis is going about trying to defeat it? He isn’t trying to investigate signatures for the 3rd Amendment we have on the ballot. I wonder why?
Michael K
September 16, 2024 at 3:53 pm
Forced birthing is not freedom. For more than 52 years, American women had the right to make their own personal healthcare decisions. The women of child bearing age today have fewer rights than their mothers. Let the people decide whether to turn back the clock to the dark days before Roe v Wade – but in all states that have put it to a vote, affirming the freedom for women to make their own choice has prevailed.
Michael K
September 16, 2024 at 3:55 pm
PS. The only fraud is a governor who does not respect the will of the people or the rights of women.
PeterH
September 16, 2024 at 4:10 pm
Republicans have been petitioning to reverse Roe for decades. As time went on ….. they believed that this settled law would never be changed….. Republicans also learned that most Americans viewed abortion as necessary in many instances. The Republican abortion agenda never changed and never took into consideration that 51% of the American silent majority …. WOMEN…… would turn on them.
Women are very capable of making their own health care decisions based on private discussions with her health care provider. They don’t need pregnancy monitoring (Proposed in Project 2025)
The fact remains ….. and Trump, Vance and their fake Christian Republican acolytes are correct on one American issue:
CHILDREN ARE INDEED BEING SLAUGHTERED AFTER BIRTH:
Children are being slaughtered in Texas schools, Florida schools and Connecticut schools. Children are being slaughtered after birth on American streets, in our public parks, at family birthday parties, playgrounds and our movie theaters.
Republicans are America’s worst enemy!
Vote all Republicans out of office!
Jojo
September 16, 2024 at 4:54 pm
Nice try Ronnie… you must have flunked English 101 because the language it the amendment is crystal clear.
Cheesy Floridian
September 16, 2024 at 5:35 pm
this man passed a 15 week ban back in 2022. He ran for reelection and never out right said he would pass a 6 week ban but if you were paying attention you could see the writing on the wall a mile away. The ban was passed late a night with no show, media or anything like that. Did the people of Florida really sign up for this? I doubt it.
for 35 years, the Supreme Court of Florida said that woman had a right to an abortion and privacy, well a Supreme Court packed with DeSantis supports took that away from us. These laws, took away our right to choose. No man should be able to tell us what we can and cannot do with our bodies.
Now, after months and months of hard work and money spent we finally have the ability to vote and tell these people what we want or do want. And this man knows that the people of Florida do not support his 6 week ban and will vote to protect the right to choose in the state of Florida. He is scared and its so sad how he is acting. We need to rub it in his face and pass this amendment along with the legal marijuana amendment because he is NOT listening to the people of Florida. He is not a good governor if you have been paying any attention. He is sneaky and slimy and I cannot wait for him to be gone. Florida is still purple lets show them!
Recall Ron DeSantis
September 16, 2024 at 7:13 pm
Vote yes on amendment 4 and then recall Ronnie! Your abuse of taxpayers dollars is fraud and a crime!