Gabrielle Russon
In the fight over abortion rights in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the underdog David fighting Goliath, said a doctor supporting his efforts this week.
DeSantis is deploying millions of dollars worth of state resources to try to defeat Amendment 4, which seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
His administration’s lawyers wrote cease and desist letters to threaten TV stations for playing pro-Amendment 4 ads — which led to a lawsuit in federal court.
That comes after the state agency’s website began openly campaigning against Amendment 4, and election police have knocked on the doors of some people who signed the Amendment 4 petition to investigate alleged petition fraud.
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political group shepherding Amendment 4, collected nearly a million petitions to get abortion rights on the ballot and has raised about $90 million so far from both small grassroots fundraising and multimillion-dollar donations.
DeSantis’ latest efforts to fight Amendment 4 see him traveling around the state with Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4. DeSantis took no press questions as he joined a group of doctors voicing their concerns for the amendment in Winter Garden Tuesday afternoon.
“He has been all over the state trying to educate our communities about the horrible consequences to our women, our families and our states if this amendment makes it into our Florida constitution,” said Dr. Ana Verdeja-Perez, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Plant City, at a press conference next to DeSantis this week.
“He has exhausted all possible resources to stop the amendment, but the opposition has been brutally defiant. It reminds me of the story of David and Goliath. Governor, you are the David of the story.”
The Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4 argues Amendment 4 is written vaguely and will deregulate the abortion industry.
The proposed constitutional amendment would limit government interference on abortion before viability — which is considered about 24 weeks — or to save the mother’s life.
“As a pro-life obstetrician gynecologist, I will be voting no. I also believe that my fellow Floridians will vote no because they are not in favor of abortion without some form of limitation. The amendment is strictly a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Dr. Tamberly McCarus, who works in Central Florida. “It was intentionally written to be deceptive, and we don’t like to be lied to in Florida.”
6 comments
ScienceBLVR
October 23, 2024 at 9:32 am
Goliath.. Woman be thy name!
Let’s say the truth out loud- This is a war against females, not some fantasy based biblical Goliath guy. Face facts-There are more of us, and
..I know that I do believe that we shall overcome someday.. soon…
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FLPatriot
October 23, 2024 at 9:44 am
It is not his place to “fight” the people over amendments. Those that think it is are the enemy of democracy.
MH/Duuuval
October 23, 2024 at 9:49 am
Dee has a right to his opinion and how he votes, but mobilizing the state’s agencies and money to contest ballot initiatives are the mark of an authoritarian and emerging fascist.
Ocean Joe
October 23, 2024 at 10:06 am
Saw a commercial claiming Amendment 4 eliminates parental consent for minors. It doesn’t. Ron, quit lying about it.
If you dont like what’s coming you shouldn’t have pushed your 6 week ban into law. Even Trump doesnt approve…at least when he talked about it the first time.
Rita Joseph
October 23, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Abortion is reproductive violence not a “reproductive right.”
I think we need to ditch the term “reproductive rights” and replace it with “safety rights during pregnancy for both mothers and babies.” We need to proclaim and to uphold these joint mother-and-child rights to protection during pregnancy.
Freedom from deliberate harm is a fundamental right for both mothers and their little ones during pregnancy.
Under the rule of law, deliberate killing of innocent utterly defenseless little human beings alive and prospering naturally in their mothers’ wombs is necessarily forbidden.
Safety rights and freedom from deliberate harm are inherent and inalienable rights for every human being. They must operate for all of us from the first knowledge of our presence in our mother’s womb till our last moments of natural death.
They remain our true rights and, sooner or later, must be recognized once again under a genuine rule of law.