DeSantis puts state forces behind Amendment 4 abortion fight

TALLAHASSEE — After signing into law a strict abortion ban, Gov. Ron DeSantis is escalating his campaign against a November ballot question that would broaden access to the procedure — throwing the weight of his political power and state government behind a campaign to defeat Amendment 4. In the past few weeks, the DeSantis administration launched a state-sponsored website that claims the measure “threatens women’s safety. ” He spearheaded a broad investigation into verified Amendment 4 petitions that has led to tens of thousands of signatures being pulled for review and state election police knocking on voters’ doors. He used his platform at a Florida GOP gathering last weekend to call out fellow Republicans by name for not yet donating money to help defeat the abortion amendment.

DeSantis enlisted his staff in the campaign, allowing his top aide to serve as the chairman for a political action committee targeting both the abortion amendment and a proposal to legalize marijuana. And earlier this year, a DeSantis appointee and longtime ally, working with other Republican political appointees on a little-known state panel, put language on the ballot questioning whether the initiative could lead to taxpayer-funded abortions. As DeSantis engages in an all-out war against the abortion measure, critics say his reliance on state government and taxpayer-funded employees is pushing the legal boundaries of the distinction between campaign politics and state duties. On Wednesday, Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group sponsoring Amendment 4, and the ACLU of Florida said they will be filing a lawsuit challenging the “misuse of taxpayer dollars to lie to voters about this amendment. ” “Ron has repeatedly used state power to interfere with a citizen-led process to get reproductive freedom on the ballot, and this is their latest desperate attempt before Election Day,” said Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party.

“They are losing, and they know it. They will do anything including breaking the law to sabotage the ballot initiative. ” DeSantis has defended the efforts to defeat Amendment 4, which would allow abortions in Florida before viability, usually up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.