Extreme abortion bans lead to not only negative health care outcomes, "but also deaths amongst pregnant women," says Geeta Minocha, an advocate for reproductive rights who is fighting to help pass Florida's Amendment 4.
As Florida voters appear to support passing Amendment 4 to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution, the DeSantis administration has escalated its attempts to thwart the measure's passage.
The proposal comes days before Election Day, as Vice President Kamala Harris affixes her presidential campaign to a promise of expanding women's health care access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to undo nationwide abortion rights two years ago.
Citing First Amendment rights, the campaign seeks to prevent the state from continuing to “coerce, threaten, or intimate” repercussions to broadcasters airing the ads.
Proponents of the amendment to enshrine abortion in the state Constitution say the report – which does not provide evidence for the allegations – is "nothing more than dishonest distractions and desperate attempts to silence voters."
A letter from the Florida Department of Health threatened a Tampa TV station with a lawsuit if it fails to remove an ad promoting the pro-choice amendment on the November ballot.
She faced one of the toughest decisions of her life as she navigated Florida's abortion restrictions. Now she's speaking out against them and in support of Amendment 4.
After Floridians Protecting Freedoms successfully placed Amendment 4 on the ballot, the DeSantis administration launched its own campaign to derail the initiative at what critics say is a steep cost to taxpayers.
During a Zoom conference with supporters, the Republican Senator said the ballot measure was nothing more than a ruse or a gimmick to mobilize women voters in the state and repeated lies about abortion.
The Senate filibuster rule requires a 60-vote threshold for most legislation to pass, making it virtually impossible to pass abortion rights legislation due to Republican opposition. Without the filibuster, a law restoring Roe v. Wade could pass with a simple majority, or 51 Senate votes.
