Miami, FL — Today, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration launched a state-sponsored and taxpayer-funded political ad, disguised as a website, seeking to undermine Amendment 4. This is a desperate attempt to further spread misinformation about the citizen-led ballot initiative to limit government interference with abortion ahead of the November election.
Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, responded with the following:
“To our knowledge, it is unprecedented for the State to expressly advocate against a citizen-led initiative. This kind of propaganda issued by the state, using taxpayer money and operating outside of the political process sets a dangerous precedent. This is what we would expect to see from an authoritarian regime, not in the so-called ‘Free State of Florida.’
“This latest move by the State is yet another example of the State disregarding the law in its attempts to mislead voters. The State’s illegal act to undermine Amendment 4 is nothing more than an abuse of power, aimed at preventing voters from rejecting the cruel and extreme abortion ban in place.
“With only 61 days before the election, launching misinformation about Amendment 4 is irresponsible and an attempt to sabotage the vote. Voters deserve and require accurate and clear information from their state government, not ideological propaganda.
“While extreme politicians continue to push false narratives that Amendment 4 will threaten women’s safety, this is simply not the case. Amendment 4 is simple. It leaves decisions about abortion to women in consultation with their doctors, who take an oath to act in their patient’s best interests. The State’s website elevates misinformation to distract from the harm that Florida’s near-total abortion ban is already causing.
“Safety isn’t threatened by expanding access to care—instead, it is compromised when extreme politicians purposefully strip away rights, force women into unsafe conditions, and deny them essential healthcare. Doctors cannot practice good medicine today in Florida because this ban threatens them with prison. Amendment 4 will allow doctors to focus on evidence-based approaches to women’s health and reject narratives that promote fear over facts.
“The real threat is restricting access to necessary reproductive care, which puts the most vulnerable populations at greater risk. Amendment 4 will help safeguard the rights and health of all women in Florida.”
