‘He’s staking his reputation on it:’ DeSantis hits the trail to campaign against abortion amendment

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two weeks ahead of a monumental vote set to decide the fate of abortion rights in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is hitting the campaign trail, urging voters to reject Amendment 4.

“And these are things you don’t get a mulligan on. Once it’s in the constitution, there really is no going back,” said DeSantis during a press conference in Jacksonville Tuesday.

DeSantis claimed the amendment would repeal parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions, virtually repeal all limitations on late-term abortions and allow unlicensed physicians to perform the procedures.

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“We would become this major abortion tourist destination, which is not what we want for our state,” said DeSantis.

They’re all arguments rejected by Amendment 4 supporters, like Amber Gavin with A Woman’s Choice clinic in Jacksonville.

“And I also think that Floridians are smart enough to know the difference between truths and untruths,” said Gavin.

Gavin argued Amendment 4 would simply undo the state’s current heartbeat bill, and return abortion rights in Florida back to levels seen before Roe V Wade was overturned.

“I think he’s [DeSantis] terrified. I think that he knows that the majority of Floridians believe that this is a very personal decision that should remain between a pregnant person and their doctor,” said Gavin.

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DeSantis’ administration has leveraged state government in unprecedented ways to fight Amendment 4.

His administration published an anti-Amendment 4 page on a state agency website, pushed for a scathing financial impact statement that appears below the amendment on the ballot and a federal judge intervened after his Department of Health threatened television stations for running this pro-Amendment 4 ad.

DeSantis’ Department of State also published a recent report alleging significant petition fraud in the effort to get Amendment 4 on the ballot, which has already generated a lawsuit seeking to nullify any Amendment 4 results.

UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder argued nothing like this has ever been seen before in Florida, and the amendment’s passage or failure could end up being as much of a referendum on DeSantis, as it is on abortion policy.

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“He’s staking his reputation on it. And if this were to pass, it would be a major rebuke to, not only his efforts, but really potentially a big hindrance to him running again in 2028. Because what are you going to lay your stake on? You can’t even stop an abortion amendment from getting passed in your own state,” said Binder.

A UNF poll released Monday showed Amendment 4 with 60 percent support.

That’s just enough to pass, but the results showed growing opposition from Republicans compared to earlier this year, suggesting the Governor’s war on Amendment 4, may be gaining ground.

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