DeSantis Urges GOP Lawmakers to Oppose Amendment 4 on Abortion Rights
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is voicing his frustration over the silence from members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation regarding Amendment 4, a ballot initiative aimed at embedding abortion rights into the Florida Constitution.
DeSantis has been a vocal critic of the proposal, which seeks to overturn Florida’s current ban on most abortions after six weeks, extending the legal window to around 24 weeks, the “point of viability.”
The amendment requires 60% approval to become law. The governor has been consistently urging Floridians to reject the proposal and has recently criticized GOP federal lawmakers who have not yet publicly opposed it.
“You have people who have been elected as Republicans to have run saying that how passionately pro-life they are. Talking about how this is such an important issue and this and that,” DeSantis said Monday on WFSX 92.5 FM in Fort Myers with state GOP Rep. Spencer Roach.
“These are people that ran on this, saying that this was something that was so important. And so now you have this amendment, which would make Florida one of the most radical abortion jurisdictions in the world, and yet you have people that won’t even say that they’re going to vote no on it? I mean, forget about actually putting in some sweat to say they shouldn’t be in the Constitution and actually going out and doing something about it — they won’t even say that.”
This marks the second time DeSantis has addressed his discontent with the lack of public opposition from all 20 members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation. During the Republican Party of Florida’s Victory Dinner fundraiser earlier this month, DeSantis individually named each member of the Florida Cabinet and Congress who have opposed the measure, spotlighting those who have made financial contributions.
Notably absent from his speech were Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Bill Posey, and Brian Mast, though Mast had released a statement opposing the measure days earlier.
Posey is not seeking re-election, but the reticence of Luna and Lee to publicly oppose the amendment has become a talking point for their Democratic challengers.
“Luna is dodging questions on the FL abortion amendment, even from her own supporters,” Democrat Whitney Fox, who is running against Luna in Florida’s Congressional District 13 race, wrote last week on X. “She’s willing to force her extreme beliefs on you but is too afraid to answer honestly when challenged. There’s only one word for that: cowardice.”
Dripping Hints
Luna hinted at her opposition to the measure during a radio interview last month but stopped short of taking a definitive public stance.
“What I will tell you is that I am personally very pro-life and I’m not ever going to change that position,” Luna said on WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa on Aug. 2.
“I think that as a federal legislator, that it would be wrong for me to tell the states what to do on these topics because that’s not what our founding fathers anticipated, so what I will tell people is to vote your conscience. I think you know how I will probably be voting on that, but again, that’s not my decision, that’s up for the people to decide.”
DeSantis expressed his views to Rep. Roach on Monday, stating, “What I have found is that you can’t expect politicians by and large to do the right thing for the right reason. Sometimes they’ll do the right thing because their feet are held to the fire, they fear the political consequences or whatever, but I think the people that are just willing to get out there, stand up for what’s right, do what’s right, because it is right, you know, those are few and far between, unfortunately.”
First Lady Casey DeSantis also entered the conversation, reposting a comment on X by a man linking to a POLITICO post quoting Luna about it being a states’ rights issue.
“The clear answer to whether FL should enact a constitutional amendment that allows abortions until birth, removes doctors from the process, and takes away parental consent for minors — which Amendment 4 would do — is: No,” Mrs. DeSantis wrote.
The proposed “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion” states: “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.”
Campaign Issue
Laurel Lee, running for re-election in Florida’s 15th Congressional District, which includes parts of Hillsborough, Polk, and Pasco counties, has also remained quiet on the issue, notes Pat Kemp, her Democratic opponent.
Lee did applaud the overturning of the Roe decision, supporting the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to let states decide. However, she has not commented on Florida’s recently enacted six-week abortion ban, declining to speak to the Tampa Bay Times in April.
Recent polls indicate the measure is close to achieving the necessary 60% for passage, though a significant survey by Emerson College showed it at 55%.
