In the fight over abortion rights in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the underdog David fighting Goliath, said a doctor supporting his efforts this week.
DeSantis is deploying millions of dollars worth of state resources to try to defeat Amendment 4, which seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
His administration’s lawyers wrote cease and desist letters to threaten TV stations for playing pro-Amendment 4 ads — which led to a lawsuit in federal court.
That comes after the state agency’s website began openly campaigning against Amendment 4, and election police have knocked on the doors of some people who signed the Amendment 4 petition to investigate alleged petition fraud.
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political group shepherding Amendment 4, collected nearly a million petitions to get abortion rights on the ballot and has raised about $90 million so far from both small grassroots fundraising and multimillion-dollar donations.
DeSantis’ latest efforts to fight Amendment 4 see him traveling around the state with Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4. DeSantis took no press questions as he joined a group of doctors voicing their concerns for the amendment in Winter Garden Tuesday afternoon.
“He has been all over the state trying to educate our communities about the horrible consequences to our women, our families and our states if this amendment makes it into our Florida constitution,” said Dr. Ana Verdeja-Perez, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Plant City, at a press conference next to DeSantis this week.
“He has exhausted all possible resources to stop the amendment, but the opposition has been brutally defiant. It reminds me of the story of David and Goliath. Governor, you are the David of the story.”
The Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4 argues Amendment 4 is written vaguely and will deregulate the abortion industry.
The proposed constitutional amendment would limit government interference on abortion before viability — which is considered about 24 weeks — or to save the mother’s life.
“As a pro-life obstetrician gynecologist, I will be voting no. I also believe that my fellow Floridians will vote no because they are not in favor of abortion without some form of limitation. The amendment is strictly a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Dr. Tamberly McCarus, who works in Central Florida. “It was intentionally written to be deceptive, and we don’t like to be lied to in Florida.”
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