DeSantis Urges Floridians to Vote No – NBC 6 South Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Clearwater on Tuesday where he continued to push Floridians to vote against ballot amendments, specifically Amendments 3 and 4.

He urged voters who do not fully understand the amendments to vote no.

The governor was joined by several doctors who stood behind him during his remarks.

Also in attendance were Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy.

DeSantis argued that Amendment 4 was written with the intent to deceive the public and argued that abortion care would not be affected by Florida’s current abortion laws.

However, the text was approved by the Florida Supreme Court.

“It revokes the right to parental consent,” the governor said.

But proponents of Amendment 4 have said that is not true. They argue that the ballot amendment says it does not change the legislature’s constitutional authority to require the consent of a parent or guardian before a minor obtains an abortion. (ONE 2020 state law requires written parental consent before a minor can have an abortion.)

The state’s Healthcare Administration Agency, Department of Children and Families, Department of Health and Department of Education are all reported to have spent millions to influence voters.

Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan research institute and government watchdog, argues that this should not be happening. The group has said that using public money for campaigns is fundamentally wrong.

“The problem I have with this is that they are spending my taxpayer dollars, your taxpayer dollars on this amendment that gives the voters the ultimate say. This is the voters’ chance to tell the government how they feel about a matter of public policy, it shouldn’t be the government telling voters how to feel,” said Ben Wilcox of Integrity Florida.

NBC6 asked Florida’s Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez on the use of public funds for television advertising on Tuesday.

“Critics say it’s inappropriate, it’s unusual to do that. I would say it’s a responsibility the state has to educate individuals to know what they’re voting for,” Nunez said. “It’s totally appropriate, the state has always done PSAs, it’s always educated its constituents.”

Some doctors at DeSantis’ news conference Tuesday also took a moment to express their disapproval of Amendment 4.

“Trying to change the law using an irreversible, extreme constitutional amendment is like using a chainsaw to remove an appendix,” said Dr. Kathy Aultman.

Tony Dungy also said he is concerned about the vague language in the amendment, which he believed was similar to the amendment passed in his home state of Michigan, and urged voters to do further research.

The remarks come just days after a reproductive rights rally in Fort Lauderdale, where a Broward mother said she nearly died after her water broke 16 weeks into her pregnancy but was denied health care after a miscarriage.

“The doctor told me I would lose our baby, but because of Florida’s extreme abortion laws, they couldn’t provide the care I needed and I was forced to go home – told to wait until my condition got worse ,” she said. explained. “This was the worst experience of my life.”

Opponents of Amendment 4 also argue that it would allow for late-term abortions because it does not define viability; however, viability is already defined in Florida law as the stage of fetal development at which fetal life is viable outside the womb through standard medical measures.