The Department of Health has removed cease-and-desist letters sent to local news stations over an ad urging people to vote in favor of The Florida. A ballot measure that would expand abortion rights in the state.
In the ad, the woman, identified as Caroline from Tampa, talks about being diagnosed with brain cancer while in Florida. The government has now banned abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.
“The doctors knew that if I didn't terminate my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, I would lose my daughter's mother,” she says. “Florida now bans abortion, even in cases like mine.”
She asks the audience to vote “yes”. A Florida ballot measure would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and restore access to the procedure, which has been dramatically curtailed. The six-week ban came into effect in May this year.
John Wilson, general counsel for the Florida Department of Health, said women in Florida cannot get life-saving abortions. The “schedule is incorrect” in the letters sent to local news stations, which were first reported by journalist Jason Garcia and The Florida Political News Agency.
“Not only is the advertisement false; It's dangerous,” Wilson wrote. “Women facing pregnancy complications such as death or significant and irreversible physical disability may seek medical treatment in Florida.”
Although Florida, like other states with abortion bans, allows abortions in medical emergencies, doctors across the country have said the bans are too vague and have little regard for practical medical realities. Instead, doctors face the threat of criminal prosecution for violating the ban They say they are forced to delay care for women until they are sick enough.
On Tuesday, Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel condemned the cease-and-desist letters.
“Broadcasters' right to free speech is rooted in the First Amendment,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Threats against broadcasters for airing content that contradicts the government's views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of freedom of speech.”
Dozens of women have come forward with stories of being denied medically necessary abortions. In August, a New York state doctor told the Guardian he had treated a woman with an ectopic pregnancy – which is unviable and potentially life-threatening if left untreated – from a Florida emergency department.
Over the past several weeks, civil rights and fair election groups have grown increasingly alarmed by efforts by Florida's right-wing government — led by its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis — to undermine the state's ballot initiative. Law enforcement officials surveyed voters who signed a petition to get the measure on the ballot, and a state agency posted a website attacking the measure.
Abortion-related ballot measures have passed in several states since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, but Florida's measure needs 60% of the vote to pass – and support for the measure is currently low. At that threshold, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll found.
Nine other states are set to vote on abortion-related ballot measures on Election Day in November.
