A former Florida Department of Health attorney said in a sworn affidavit that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) office’s top deputies drafted the letters threatening TV stations with criminal prosecution for airing ads that advocated for the passage of an abortion rights ballot measure, and directed him to send them to the stations. The letters from … Read more
“To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” Walker wrote. Read more at NBC News
In recent weeks, one state agency launched a website attacking the ballot measure, another state agency threatened local television stations that had run an ad supporting it, and an election police unit created by DeSantis started investigating claims of fraud in the signature-gathering process for it months after it was approved for the ballot. Read … Read more
“The U.S. Supreme Court has resoundingly held that ‘[g]overnment officials cannot to attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors’,” the complaint said. “FPF’s advertisement is pure political speech at the very heart of the First Amendment’s protections.” “‘[T]he advocacy of a politically controversial viewpoint’ is, in … Read more
In November, Florida voters will have a chance to codify abortion rights. It could be the only way that people with medically complex pregnancies could access the procedure in the state. Read more at 19th News
Of the doctors surveyed, 76% reported that they believe they cannot practice evidence-based medicine in the state, with 60% reporting that a fear of legal repercussions is part of the reason why. Twenty-nine percent of respondents also said they don’t feel like they have a clear understanding of the abortion laws in Texas, and only … Read more
On Tuesday, Jessica Rosenworcel, the Federal Communications Commission chair, condemned the cease-and-desist letters. “The right of broadcasters to speak freely is rooted in the first amendment,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech.” Read … Read more
Ron DeSantis’ Administration Is Threatening to Prosecute the Media for Airing Pro-Choice Ads The problem is especially acute for cancer patients, like Caroline, who must undergo an abortion in order to receive chemotherapy. Florida’s exception does not clarify when a patient’s cancer is severe enough to justify termination. These women may have to wait until … Read more
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reinstated the state’s six-week abortion ban while it reviews an appeal from the state of a lower court ruling that had struck down the law. ….. The state Supreme Court’s decision, however, left in place the lower court’s ruling blocking a separate provision of the law that had given … Read more
Ron DeSantis is making a concerted effort to maintain draconian limits on abortion access in Florida that have led to accusations the rightwing Republican governor is conducting a “state-sponsored intimidation campaign” against abortion rights and trampling on civil liberties in the state. Read more at The Guardian
