Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently under heavy criticism for allegedly misusing state resources to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment regarding abortion rights. Less than eight weeks before the vote in Florida, the conflict between DeSantis and supporters of the constitutional amendment is escalating.
The dispute began last week after the state Department of Health posted a 30-second video on social media that portrayed Florida’s current abortion law, which largely bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, as evidence that “Florida cares about women and families.” The video links to an agency website that claims the abortion rights initiative, known as Amendment 4, endangers women’s safety.
At the same time, it was announced that state investigators are retrospectively checking whether some of the approximately 911,000 signatures collected to place the measure on the November ballot could possibly have been forged. Although the signatures were certified in February and the deadline for contesting them has expired, the issue remains controversial.
This week, the health department began airing the video, which was already posted on social media, as a TV ad in Florida. However, the scope and cost of the campaign are unknown. When asked about the advertising campaign, the department’s media office referred only to a statement by a DeSantis official about the value of public service announcements.
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida announced it would file a lawsuit on behalf of Floridian’s Protecting Freedom, an initiative that supports the constitutional amendment, alleging that the state agency is illegally using taxpayer money to wage a political campaign against the measure.
“The government is trying to distract Floridians by any means possible,” Lauren Brenzel, campaign director at Floridians Protecting Freedom, said at a press conference Tuesday. “They are doing everything they can to suppress the voices and the will of the people.”
