WINTER GARDEN, Florida – Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the important abortion amendment at stake among Sunshine State voters, calling the measure a “bait and switch.”
Amendment 4, which would end Florida’s six-week period abortion ban by enshrining abortion in the state constitution, has been a pressure point as Election Day approaches.
On Tuesday, DeSantis held a press conference at the Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden, called “Doctors Against Amendment 4,” to urge voters to vote “No” on the abortion amendment. The governor was joined by nearly a dozen doctors against the amendment.
“When people peel back the onion and see what this amendment is about, they don’t like it,” he said. “And he loses a lot of support.”
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about Amendment 4 at Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden, FL on October 22, 2024. (WOFL)
DeSantis sharply criticized the amendment, condemning the “vague language” of the legislation, noting that it could be interpreted to allow elective abortion throughout a woman’s pregnancy, as deemed necessary by employees of abortion clinics, instead from only doctors.
“It’s interesting because it’s written without definitions,” he said. “It’s intentionally vague and misleading… All they’re doing is lying about Florida’s policies and laws about respecting life, both the mother’s life and the mother’s health, of course, but also the life of the mother.” of the child”.
The amendment also does not define viability, which is typically understood to be 20 to 25 weeks, DeSantis said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urges voters to vote “No” on Amendment 4. He said the amendment’s language was “vague” and affects parental rights. (WOFL)
DeSantis also said the amendment does not define “health care provider.”
“[Amendment 4] It says a ‘health care provider’ can give the green light to abortion up to the time of birth,” she said. “That’s the term they used. Well, a health care provider is not the same as a licensed physician.”
“Florida law has always required that licensed physicians be the ones involved in performing these procedures. Some of them are very, very high risk. Sometimes a lot of complications can occur,” he said. “So there will be non-medical doctors doing this.
“I don’t know if there are any other states that have gone down that path.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attends the drivers’ meeting prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. ((Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images))
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DeSantis said another concern raised by the amendment is its language about minors having abortions.
The text says the amendment would not change the legislature’s ability to require parents to be notified of a minor’s abortion. However, it sets aside the legislator’s authority to require parental consent for such a procedure.
DeSantis has criticized the proposed amendment as a “bait and switch” when it comes to parental rights.
“This amendment, if adopted, would be the first amendment in the history of the state of Florida that would truly repeal a right. It would repeal the right of a parent to have to give consent before their child undergoes an abortion,” he said . “Right now in Florida we have parental consent, not just for abortion, but for anything that involves medical treatment for a minor. You can’t give your child aspirin unless you give consent.”
Abortion rights activists in Florida participate in a rally to protect Floridians’ abortion rights. (Chandan Khanna/AFP)
“And that’s how it should be for parents. And yet this amendment would permanently address this issue and say that parents do not have the right to be in that decision-making process or to give consent.”
DeSantis pointed out the difference between parental notification and parental consent.
“What this amendment does is provide a little bait and switch. The legislature says it requires parental notification, but that’s not the same as consent,” he said. “Notification can be sent by postcard.”
“Parents know this is happening, but they can’t stop it,” DeSantis said. “The parent does not have authorization and is not required to provide authorization. Therefore, a parent’s right to provide consent to the minor is abrogated.”
Abortion and the 2024 elections
Florida is one of nine states with a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot to protect abortion access. In Florida, the hot topic has been the most expensive: about $150 million in ads, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
The amendment’s language reads: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the health of the patient, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.”
Trump and Harris are campaigning separately in Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)
Triumph
Former President Trump has changed his stance on abortion during the election cycle, and the Republican nominee hopes to appeal to independents and some disillusioned Democrats but risks alienating his pro-life base.
Trump has countered Democratic attacks on the former president’s stance on abortion by saying he would leave abortion access to the states, as determined by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Trump in particular opposes a federal abortion banbut continues to oppose late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position defending abortion.
Harris
Throughout Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, she has argued that Trump, who nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who later voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, is responsible for worsening health care for women and would seek greater restrictions.
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Harris has expressed her position on the issue as creating legislation to restore the national right to abortion that was eliminated after Roe v. Wade.
He has also promised to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, vocation the drug “essential medication.”
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