A pro-abortion group calling itself Floridians Protecting Freedom produced a 30-second spot featuring Caroline, who says a brain tumor while she was pregnant threatened to kill her, and doctors told her she needed an abortion to save her life.
“If I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom. Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine,” Caroline states.
“That’s false,” Liberty Counsel attorney Daniel Schmid says. “Even under Florida's current six week ban there is a life exception if a medical doctor certifies the need for an abortion.”
Florida's Department of Health is threatening TV Stations that run the ad with a lawsuit and is fining Floridians Protecting Freedom $328,000 for producing and pushing the ad. Schmid says the ad is not protected by the First Amendment.
Supreme Court has spoken
“The Supreme Court precedent is clear from cases called Gertz v. Robert Welsh and Central Hudson v. the Public Utilities Commission, an intentionally false statement of fact is not protected by the Constitution.”
The Amendment 4 initiative to rewrite the state constitution requires 60% approval to pass.
In the remaining days before Nov. 5, The Voice For Life tour bus, sponsored by Florida Family Voice, is rolling through the state encouraging voters to oppose Amendment 4.
“We're wanting to educate people on the history of the life movement here in the state of Florida and talking about the specifics of this abortion initiative and what it would do to decimate Florida's pro-life laws and absolutely set up an abortion cartel here in the state of Florida,” Aaron Dipietro, of Florida Family Voice, told AFN.
The false ad sounds a lot like the kind of misinformation censorship Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republicans are condemning. Schmid says the Left wants to censor ideas and facts it doesn't like, not blatant lies about a topic.
“Not a false idea. That's generally what misinformation gets into. We heard it a lot with the 2020 election, 'Well, you thought it was stolen? That's misinformation,' or with the COVID vaccine, 'You're spewing misinformation.'”
