JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida doctors on Wednesday spoke out against Florida’s law restricting abortions after six weeks, calling it a near-total abortion ban.
This comes as less than 50 days out from the November election, in which Floridians will have the chance to make their voices heard on abortion with Amendment 4.
Amendment 4 would essentially restore the guidelines of Roe v. Wade to Florida, protecting abortion rights up to viability or to protect the health of the mother.
Since May, the law in Florida has mostly capped abortions at six weeks, and although the law does allow for exceptions, advocates say they’re not enough.
On a call organized by Amendment 4 supporters Wednesday, Florida doctors explained the impacts they have seen since Florida tightened its laws to put new restrictions on abortions after six weeks.
“Florida has a near total abortion ban that impacts many women before they even realize they’re pregnant, “said Sarasota-based OBGYN Dr. Jerry Goodman. “And as a doctor, I’m committed to saving lives, but Florida’s extreme abortion ban ties my hands and puts lives at risk.”
Looming in the background of these conversations is a political fight over the language and campaigning over Amendment 4.
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, or AHCA, created a website earlier this month that says “Current Law Protects Women, Amendment 4 threatens women’s safety.”
The site claims “Amendment 4 threatens to expose women and children to health risks which the Florida Legislature has spent years working to mitigate.” It also says terms such as “viability,” “health,” and “health care provider” in the language of Amendment 4 are vague and could create issues.
“All these terms matter because if it passes, that restricts the right of the people to legislate around that,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday.
The website also points out the exceptions in Florida’s current abortion law, which allows exceptions for abortions up to 15 weeks for rape, incest, and human trafficking, as well as to save the life of the mother, risk of physical impairment, and fatal fetal abnormality.
But doctors on the call Wednesday said the complex legal arguments and requirements surrounding those exceptions mean they don’t always happen.
Dr. Chelsea Daniels of Miami said the requirement for a rape survivor to have documentation led to one of her patients leaving the state for an abortion.
“I am not a member of the police force, and yet I and my colleagues are being asked to look at documentation like this; however, she did not have this documentation,” she said. “She, in fact, had tried to report her rape. She was turned away by the police department. She didn’t speak English. She was new to the state, and she was unable to report the assault that occurred.”
AHCA is also facing two lawsuits over their website on Amendment 4, claiming it was an improper use of taxpayer money for campaign purposes against the proposed amendment. AHCA has previously said this website was created to educate Floridians.
On Wednesday, the state reiterated to News4JAX a previous statement from the governor’s office:
“PSAs and community events have long been used to ensure residents have truth and transparency about the state’s existing laws and available resources. We will absolutely continue to protect Floridians and ensure they are well informed about their state.”
Bryan Griffin, Communications Director for Gov. Ron DeSantis