‘It’s The 1st Amendment, Stupid’: Judge Allows FL Abortion Ads
FLORIDA — A federal judge in Florida issued a temporary restraining order Thursday against state health officials for threatening to bring criminal charges against television stations that air a pro-abortion rights ad.A group of broadcasters brought a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Health after the agency sent cease-and-desist letters earlier this month to stations across the state that aired the ad, which is sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom as part of the group’s “Yes on 4 Campaign,” earlier this month, according to The Hill. The department claims the ad, created in support of Amendment 4, a ballot initiative to guarantee abortion access, contains false information and violates Florida’s “sanitary nuisance laws,” reports said. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker of the Northern District of Florida didn’t mince words in his decision to grant a temporary restraining order against the department of health. “To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” he wrote, according to CNN.Walker also called the department’s threats “blatant government interference.”If passed by Florida voters in November, Amendment 4 would overturn the state’s current ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. It would protect abortion access until about 24 weeks. Related: FL Voters To Decide On 6 Constitutional Amendments: What To KnowAnti-abortion advocates have filed a separate lawsuit to remove the amendment from the ballot, citing a report from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration that there was “widespread” fraud when collecting the signatures required to put it before voters, the Tampa Bay Times reported.A spokesperson for the DeSantis administration dismissed Walker’s ruling, calling it "another order that excites the press" and claiming, again, that the ad contains false information, according to The Week.The spokesperson also said that the ad is a danger to women’s health as Florida’s current six-week abortion ban "protects the life of a mother and includes exceptions for victims of rape, incest and human trafficking" up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.The 30-second ad, which can be viewed here, features Caroline, a brain cancer survivor who said the state’s current law would have prevented her from receiving an abortion that saved her life.“The doctors knew that if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom,” she said in the ad. “Florida has now banned abortions, even in cases like mine."The article ‘It’s The 1st Amendment, Stupid’: Judge Allows FL Abortion Ads appeared first on Sarasota, FL Patch.
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