DeSantis warns Florida amendment will strip parental consent rights for underaged abortions
HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis again called on Florida voters to vote “no” on an abortion ballot initiative to protect abortion up to around 24 weeks, which he warned fully amends the Florida Constitution, which cannot be done “willy-nilly.”
Spatting with a reporter, DeSantis said the ballot summary is misleading.
“The measure reads – this amendment does not require the change of parental notification [for abortion],” a reporter said.
DeSantis cut the reporter off, saying, “That’s not consent – exactly, you made the point! How deceptive is that?”
The governor has been warning Florida voters that not only is the amendment not clear on which specific week abortion can be allowed up to – with viability being generally understood to be no earlier than 20 weeks, and typically around 24 weeks – but it could also abolish requiring parental consent for minors to obtain abortions.
“A parent needs to provide a notarized letter to the physician,” the reporter said – citing current Florida law, not the amendment – which would “trump” existing state laws via the Florida Constitution, DeSantis said.
“There’s a difference between consent and notification,” DeSantis said. “Notification is after the fact. The consent is obviously a condition precedent. They did that because they know going after parents’ rights is a vulnerability.”
Below is the summary of the ballot initiative:
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.
Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion
Notably, the summary states that “no law” can bar abortion “before viability,” except to protect the health of the mother. The summary also only says the legislature can require “notification to a parent or guardian” for a minor having an abortion – with no mention of an exception for parental consent.
Current Florida law does require consent of the parent or guardian.
“They tested this with millions of dollars to try to get people,” DeSantis said. “Don’t be fooled, though – that is severing the parental consent for minors […] It’s written so broadly, to just take out the notification, which is different than consent.”
In his remarks, DeSantis also took a jab at the amendment to allow recreational marijuana use for those 21 or older statewide. He said it will be nearly impossible to limit where residents can use it and that the smell of marijuana would become a broader nuisance.
The governor’s remarks on the abortion initiative echo arguments from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the female Supreme Court of Florida justices who sided against allowing the ballot placement before voters this November.
