Florida Phoenix
A conservative legal organization is coming to the defense of Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Secretary Jason Weida and efforts by the DeSantis administration to defeat Amendment 4.
Liberty Counsel and its allied Liberty Counsel Action on Monday weighed in on a request by a Palm Beach County lawyer to block AHCA from maintaining a website that contends the abortion access measure threatens the safety of women. The agency has also put up television and radio ads urging people to visit the website.
Liberty filed an amicus brief with the Florida Supreme Court, which is handling the case, arguing that Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, enjoy a First Amendment right to speak out on matters of public concern.
“Florida’s abortion amendment could have a devastating effect on the state’s residents if passed,” said Mat Staver, founder and Chair of Liberty Counsel. “Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody’s participation in the public debate over Amendment 4 is not only permissible but it is essential. They cannot ignore their obligation to educate the public about this deceptive and extreme abortion amendment.”
If passed by 60% of voters, Amendment 4 would undo Florida’s existing ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which took effect earlier this year, through the viability, or around 14 weeks’ gestation.
Opponents of the abortion ban mobilized last year and gathered enough signatures to get on the November ballot. But DeSantis and other Republicans have mounted a political campaign against the measure and have in recent weeks used government resources to urge voters to vote no.
The legal tussle at the Supreme Court is one of two lawsuits actively challenging AHCA’s actions. Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group sponsoring the initiative, has filed its own lawsuit with the help of attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
A trial court Judge in Tallahassee has scheduled an emergency hearing on Wednesday to consider a temporary injunction against AHCA. The injunction request maintains that AHCA is “grossly misrepresenting” Amendment 4.
DeSantis, who has been blasting the abortion access amendment for weeks and criticized the state Supreme Court for allowing the amendment on the ballot, has defended the actions of his agency.
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Christine Sexton reporting. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: [email protected]. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
5 comments
John Ells
September 24, 2024 at 12:37 pm
State Agencies should not interfere with legally developed Amendments, and should definitely not become an advocate for special interests like extremist Religious sects. The Amendment proposal passed all legal requirements and the State Government should let the electorate decide.
What is next? The State Govt will now campaign for their candidates with your tax dollars, or forbid someone being included on a ballot because they can?
Jojo
September 25, 2024 at 7:25 am
DeSantes has already said he might fire, again, two people running for office.
The man is a small minded dictator
David Wheeler
September 24, 2024 at 6:28 pm
The AHCA has an absolute obligation to inform the public how this deceptively worded amendment will affect abortion access in Florida. That the amendment allows abortions at any point during a pregnancy, does not require a doctor to sign-off on late term abortions, and eliminates parental consent for minors.
Jojo
September 25, 2024 at 7:35 am
Maybe you should actually read the amendment before you start parroting DeSantes lies.
“ no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion BEFORE VIABILITY or when necessary to protect the patients health”
Amendment 4 WOULD MAINTAIN the current constitutional provision that PERMITS A LAW REQUIRING PARENTS TO BE NOTIFIED before a monorail can receive an abortion.
yes on 4
September 25, 2024 at 8:08 am
Vote yes on 4! The government has no right to interfere with a woman’s personal medical decisions regarding her own body. Liberty needs to change it’s name because the group is totally against freedom. Desatan and his stooges at ACHA are breaking the law by engaging in an anti-amendment 4 affront to our rights to amend our constitution.