Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last week continued his full-court press against a pro-choice ballot measure that will be in front of the state’s voters in a month.
DeSantis’ administration is threatening to bring criminal charges against a local news channel that aired an advertisement in support of the abortion rights measure, Amendment 4, which would overturn DeSantis’ six-week abortion ban and restore access to the procedure until fetal viability.
The Florida governor has spent substantial amounts of taxpayer money to fight Amendment 4, including by weaponizing a nonpartisan government agency to spread misinformation and launching an unprecedented investigation into petition signatures already verified by the state, alleging a need to combat voter fraud.
Last week, Florida’s Department of Health sent a letter to a local NBC affiliate suggesting that an ad in support of Amendment 4 violates the state’s so-called “sanitary nuisance” law. The letter, first reported by journalist Jason Garcia, claims that the news channel may be committing a second-degree misdemeanor, and that its employees could be penalized with a 60-day jail sentence.
It’s unclear if the agency only sent the letter to the NBC affiliate, or to others as well. Either way, a threat like this could have a chilling effect on publicly advocating for the pro-choice measure, just weeks away from when it will be in front of voters. Florida’s Department of Health did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The sanitary nuisance law is meant to curb conditions that can threaten or impair Floridians’ health. It normally pertains to issues like overflowing septic tanks and problematic garbage disposals. Instead, DeSantis’ Department of Health is applying the sanitary nuisance law to an ad titled “Caroline,” in which a Tampa mother talks about being diagnosed with brain cancer while pregnant. Caroline got a lifesaving abortion in 2020 after her diagnosis, but she believes she would not have been able to get one today under the state’s six-week abortion ban.
“The doctors knew if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life and my daughter would lose her mom,” Caroline says in the ad, which was paid for by Floridians Protecting Freedom, the pro-choice group behind Amendment 4. “Florida has now banned abortion even in cases like mine.”
The state Health Department claims that the ad…
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