Florida health agency to be sued over abortion TV ad

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida has announced it plans to sue the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, accusing it of misusing public funds to influence voters on the abortion issue, ABC Action News reports.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Florida Legal Branch discussed the upcoming lawsuit during a virtual press conference on September 11. It concerns a television ad that redirects viewers to a website with additional information about access to abortion.

The website reportedly argued against the Fourth Amendment, a referendum initiative that would limit government interference in abortion laws, saying it “threatens women’s safety.”

Michelle Morton, an attorney for the ACLU of Florida, said: “This website is full of patently false statements. That’s why we’re challenging the misuse of taxpayer money to lie to voters about this amendment,” ABC Action News reported.

“This is not what government should be,” Morton said. “This is not what government should be doing. This is not normal.”

Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, previously issued a statement condemning the ad in a press release, saying, “This latest move by the state is yet another example of the state flouting the law in an attempt to mislead voters. The state’s illegal action to undermine Amendment 4 is nothing short of an abuse of power to prevent voters from rejecting a cruel and extreme abortion ban.”

Governor Ron DeSantis responded to allegations against the Agency for Health Care Administration on September 9, saying the television ads were “legal” and that the agency was providing a “public service announcement.”

According to Miami HeraldDeSantis also said, “We have an obligation to tell the truth about what the politics are in the state of Florida, and it is 100 percent accurate. It is not a burden on a particular amendment.”

Newsweek contacted the Florida ACLU, the Agency for Health Care Administration, and DeSantis’s communications office for comment via email.

The Fourth Amendment states that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict an abortion performed before viability is established or when necessary to protect the health of the patient, as determined by the patient’s health care provider. This amendment does not alter the constitutional authority of the Legislature to require notification of a parent or guardian prior to an abortion performed by a minor.”

The six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis went into effect in May. It is one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, replacing a previous Florida law that banned women from having abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to ABC News.

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