The abortion lobby would like Americans to think there’s not a ballot measure fight they can’t win. It’s their silver bullet strategy that can’t fail, no matter how conservative a state might be. Former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said as much last year on the eve of the Ohio election:
When abortion is on the ballot, abortion wins.
Everywhere.
Every time.
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) November 8, 2023
There’s no denying that we live in a world where pro-abortion forces have hold of nearly all the major institutions from academia and many C-Suites to Hollywood and the media. These institutions appear to be in lock-step with the ACLU which writes abortion amendments, funds deceptive advertising, and then leads lawsuits to eliminate all protections for unborn children, women, and girls. Combined with George Soros’ money and Planned Parenthood’s profit motive, amendment fights have a David and Goliath vibe. But recent events in Florida show a path forward in how Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arizona and Montana can prevent voters from being deceived into passing California-style amendments.
GOP leaders in Florida are publicly sharing they will vote against Amendment 4, using their platforms to educate the public, and raising funds. Here’s a list of some of the GOP leaders who have come out against the all-trimester abortion measure:
Gov. Ron DeSantis is the one leading the fight to forge consensus against Amendment 4. Since the state Supreme Court ruled to place the abortion measure on the ballot, Gov. DeSantis has been clear about the ways the abortion amendment is too extreme for Florida. The governor has used his platform to shed light on how the measure allows brutal abortions in all trimesters and removes parental rights by taking away parental consent.
In a video posted on X, DeSantis says, “It guarantees abortion all the way until the moment of birth and it’s written in a way to try to massage that but basically if you have a ‘healthcare provider’ who says that there should be an abortion, then you can do it. It doesn’t even require a physician.”
The governor is not only creating awareness of the deception at play but is helping fund the fight. In June, it was reported that DeSantis had launched the Freedom Fund to defeat the abortion and marijuana ballot measures and he held an event in Tampa a few weeks ago to support Freedom Fund efforts.
Amendment 4 was trending on X on Wednesday when Gov. DeSantis posted about executive branch leaders who will donate money to stop the abortion lobby. The governor thanked Attorney General Ashley Moody, state CFO Jimmy Patronis and Ag Secretary Wilton Simpson for each giving $100,000.
Thanks to @AshleyMoodyFL @JimmyPatronis and @WiltonSimpson for each pledging $100k to combat Amendment 4.
Glad to see the entire Florida cabinet united against this deceitful and dangerous Soros-backed amendment!
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 28, 2024
Simpson replied on X saying he’d double his commitment.
Governor, let’s make that $200,000. Amendment 4 takes away parental consent for minors AND allows partial birth AND tax payer funded abortions. https://t.co/TzQJsCjl5a
— Wilton Simpson (@WiltonSimpson) August 28, 2024
In a townhall last week, Rep. Byron Donalds said he opposes Amendment 4:
“The legislature – whether you agree or disagree with Florida law right now – have made a determination with the members of the legislature and with the governor for the current laws in the state of Florida. If people on the other side of the political aisle want to change those laws, you should do that through the legislative process. When you stick it in the constitution, what you effectively are doing is you’re binding the state of Florida to that position for all time with no ability – or a limited ability – to change things in the future.”
Video of @ByronDonalds speaking on why he’s a NO on Soros’ Amendment 4 last night at his townhall 👇 https://t.co/kDt5stoxq9
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) August 28, 2024
He joins representatives Neal Dunn, Matt Gaetz, Cory Mills, Aaron Bean, and Greg Steube who have come out against the measure:
Following the state Supreme Court’s decision putting Amendment 4 on the ballot, Sen. Marco Rubio said he would be supporting life:
“I believe the right from which all other rights emanate is the right to live – the right of a human being to live – and that right to live when it comes to abortion is in conflict with a woman’s right to choose. And so we have to choose in public policy what do we prioritize? The right to live or the right to choose in those circumstances? And it’s a tough choice for a lot of people and I understand it. But for me, I’m going to err on the side of life.”
Around this time, Sen. Rick Scott also said he opposed the abortion measure.
Big conservative names who live in the state of Florida are speaking out as well. Ben Shapiro who generally focuses on national politics posted on X:
Democrats’ attempt to legalize abortion to point of birth in Florida via Amendment 4 is a disgrace. They’re trying to enshrine abortion-on-demand into the state constitution. Every Republican and moderate should oppose this.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 28, 2024
Seth Dillon of the Babylon Bee has posted several times calling out the deception of Amendment 4. He’s the CEO of a group called Keep Florida Pro-Life and held a fundraising event in Palm Beach last week.
Amendment 4 wouldn’t just reduce restrictions on abortion in Florida; it would eliminate them altogether.
The language of the amendment is intentionally vague. It says that abortion would be permitted up to “viability” — which isn’t defined — but then goes beyond that to say it… pic.twitter.com/InwB7HJAlf
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) August 20, 2024
The efforts of these Florida leaders got a big boost last week when President Trump – a resident of Florida himself – also spoke out against the Amendment, saying: “…the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation where you can do an abortion in the ninth month. And you know, some of the states, like Minnesota and other states, have it where you can actually execute the baby after birth, and all of that stuff is unacceptable. So I’ll be voting ‘no’ for that reason.”
The point President Trump made in the interview about the agenda for abortion in all nine months is particularly crucial given the prevailing media narrative that Amendment 4 won’t allow abortion after viability. In practice, the amendment (as well as every amendment on the ballot in red states this year) would allow abortion until birth by giving the abortionist the authority to decide when a woman needs an abortion — and they’ll be able to justify it for any reason at any point thanks to the abortion lobby’s intentional wording of the amendment.
Following Gov. DeSantis’ Tampa event to fundraise and educate the public on Amendment 4, SBA Pro-Life American President Marjorie Dannenfelser released a statement that said:
“The only way that Amendment 4 will succeed is if Floridians are unaware that it takes away parental consent, forces taxpayers to fund abortion, and restores Florida as a the late-term abortion capital of the country by allowing abortion in the seventh, eighth, and ninth months of pregnancy. . . GOP leaders in states with abortion on the ballot this year must mirror DeSantis’ leadership to raise funds and use their platforms to educate the public. Lives are at stake in November and they must engage now to expose the deception and provide a counter to the major institutions that are going to bat to increase Planned Parenthood’s profits.”
With just two months until Election Day, the clock is ticking for more GOP officials and candidates in South Dakota, Montana, Missouri, Arizona, and Nebraska to follow the lead of their peers in Florida. While Donald Trump and Ben Shapiro may not weigh in on the ballot measures outside of their home state, the amendments in the five other red states have the same effect of allowing all-trimester abortion. And national conservative influencers will follow Republicans’ lead if they put their weight behind these fights. Republicans’ willingness to forge ahead in speaking out boldly against ballot measures and raising the funds to fight them could mean the difference between a win and a loss for the lives of unborn children and their mothers.
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