DeSantis Makes Big Announcement Ahead Of Elections

A ballot issue of significant concern to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appears close to passing, though this is a result he opposes, according to recent polling data.

Florida voters are showing increased support for a new measure aimed at limiting the state government’s role in abortion regulations, even as DeSantis attempts to cast the initiative as “radical.”

The latest survey from Emerson College shows growing approval for Amendment 4, which would enshrine a constitutional right to abortion up until fetal viability—around 23 weeks.

In the survey, 53.2 percent of voters said they planned to vote “yes,” while 29.8 percent indicated “no.” This reflects a notable increase from an April poll that registered support at 42.4 percent, as reported by Newsweek.

“In poll after poll, we’re encouraged to see that the overwhelming majority of Floridians support ending Florida’s extreme abortion ban by passing Amendment 4,” Keisha Mulfort, a senior communications strategist with the ACLU in Florida, told the outlet on Wednesday. She added, “Recent polling makes clear that turnout will be the deciding factor, especially with the state’s coordinated effort to spread misinformation and confuse voters.”

On Tuesday, DeSantis told Fox News that if passed, the measure would allow abortion “all the way up until birth for virtually any reason.”

“It eliminated parental consent for minors,” he argued. “In Florida, if you want to prescribe a minor Tylenol, you have got to get parental consent, but somehow they’re going to take abortion out of that.”

The language of the amendment states: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

However, DeSantis has claimed that the amendment’s provisions would allow abortions to be performed by “healthcare providers” rather than just physicians, suggesting it could result in “very dangerous situations.” He argued that once voters fully understood the implications of Amendment 4, their enthusiasm for the measure declined.

At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis appeared with healthcare professionals opposed to the amendment. One attendee noted that mothers who had reportedly died as a result of the abortion ban had, in fact, lost their lives due to medical negligence, Newsweek reported.

Earlier this month, DeSantis criticized Vice President Kamala Harris after she accused him of ignoring her calls following Hurricane Milton.

In an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, DeSantis addressed the matter, accusing Harris of “trying to politicize” the disaster response to bolster her campaign.

“I didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process, and I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both Trump and Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it,” he said. “And, in fact, all the storms I’ve dealt with under this administration – although I’ve worked well with [President Biden] – she has never called in Florida. She has never offered any support.”

“So, what she’s doing is she’s trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign,” he continued, emphasizing his focus on saving lives. “I don’t have time for those games.”

DeSantis had told a news conference earlier, “I’m in contact with the president of the United States. I’m in contact with the FEMA director, I’m obviously managing all of our state agencies, we’re supporting all our local government.”

“She’s the first one who’s trying to politicize the storm, and she’s doing that just because of her campaign. I don’t have time for political games. I’ve got people whose lives are on the line, I’ve got people whose homes and possessions are on the line, and we are focused 100% on that mission,” he added.