Desantis Threatens to Prosecute Stations Running Ads for Abortion Amendment

He continues to abuse state power to kill democracy.

Since the abortion ballot initiative was first announced (Amendment 4), Ron Desantis has been on a crusade to put the thumb on the scale to defeat it. The problem is that he continues to use the power of the state to do it.

Desantis came out early against it when the Florida Supreme Court approved the Amendment for the November ballot. That is his right. But it is not his right to use state agencies, taxpayer funds, and the power of the state prosecutors to do it. Even though the Amendment was approved for the ballot by an all-Republican court, he began by griping that it should never had approved the Amendment because the ballot language was misleading.

Then he began to lie about the Amendment, mischaracterizing it as allowing 9th month elective abortions on demand and claiming it was identical to California's law. Then he was able to force an "economic impact" study with language appearing next to the Amendment on the ballot that sounds like a Desantis campaign ad with claims that it will cost taxpayers millions. Economic impact statements are almost unheard of attached to Amendments that affect rights and civil liberties, but Desantis will stop at nothing to defeat it.

Desantis then had his new "election crimes task force" launch an investigation into the signatures on petitions by voters that were used to get the Amendment on the ballot. He ordered Supervisors of Elections in largely Democratic areas of the state to turn over petitions for inspection. That investigation is still ongoing.

Next, he used state resources to run ads from the Florida Department of Health - a state health agency funded by taxpayers - against the Amendment, claiming that it was justified in the interests of "public health." The agency also posted information on their website against the Amendment.

Now, Desantis has taking his fascistic leanings to the next level. The Florida Department of Health has issued a letter threatening to criminally prosecute TV stations and other media that are airing an ad promoting the Amendment. The ad features a woman named "Caroline" who had a brain tumor and was forced to have an abortion otherwise both she and her baby would have died. This is the ad:

The Director of the Department of Health claims that the ad is misleading and is threatening and media company who continues to run the ad with criminal prosecution. His letter states:

Under section 386.01, Florida Statutes, "the commission of any act, by an individual, municipality, organization, or corporation... by which the health or life of an individual, or the health or lives of individuals, may be threatened or impaired" constitutes a "sanitary nuisance." The Department of Health, upon determining the existence of such nuisance, must notify the person or persons committing the nuisance "to remove or cause to be removed within 24 hours. If that nuisance is not removed ... The Department is authorized to "institute criminal proceedings .. against all persons failing to comply ..."

Whether you think an ad is accurate or misleading, the concept of a politician or elected official using the power of the state government to criminally prosecute media companies for airing an ad and put people in jail for it is something we have not seen in this country. Whether it is removing Democratic elected officials or targeting companies like Disney who oppose him, Ron Desantis has shown that he is always willing to use government power and authority to accomplish his political aims.

Which is what makes him a clear and present danger to the people of Florida now, and the rest of the country in the future if he larger ambitions are ever realized.