Florida’s ACLU announced it is preparing to sue the state Agency for Health Care Administration, accusing it of misusing public funds to influence voters on abortion, according to ABC Action News.
The Florida branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)’s legal team discussed the upcoming lawsuit in a virtual press conference on September 11. It relates to a TV advertisement that redirects viewers to a website with further information on abortion access.
The website reportedly featured arguments against Amendment Four, a ballot initiative that would limit government interference with abortion law, positing that it “threatens women’s safety.”
Florida ACLU Attorney Michelle Morton said, “This website is filled with demonstrably false statements. So we’re challenging the misuse of taxpayer dollars to lie to voters about this amendment,” according to ABC Action News.
“This is not what government is supposed to be,” said Morton. “That’s not what government is supposed to do. This is not normal.”
Bacardi Jackson, the executive director of Florida’s ACLU, previously released a statement denouncing the advertisement in a press release and said, “This latest move by the State is yet another example of the State disregarding the law in its attempts to mislead voters. The State’s illegal act to undermine Amendment 4 is nothing more than an abuse of power, aimed at preventing voters from rejecting the cruel and extreme abortion ban in place.”
Governor Ron DeSantis responded to the allegations against the Agency for Health Care Administration on September 9 and said that the TV advertisements were “above board,” and that the agency was providing a “public service announcement.”
Protestors holding up signs during the Bans Off Our Bodies pro abortion rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the Federal Court House on July 13, 2022.
mpi04/Associated Press
According to the Miami Herald, DeSantis also said, “We have a responsibility to tell the truth about what the policies are in the State of Florida, and that is 100 per cent accurate. It is not weighing in on a specific amendment.”
Newsweek reached out to the Florida ACLU, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the communications office for DeSantis, and for comment via email.
Amendment Four states that, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
A six-week abortion ban which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis took effect in May. It is one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, replacing Florida’s previous law that banned women from having an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to ABC News.
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