Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is assembling a team of allies to fight against an upcoming amendment ballot measure this November that would restore rights to abortion access in the state.
As part of this effort, DeSantis has enlisted the help of the Heritage Foundation, the group behind the infamous “Project 2025” that Democrats say is a blueprint for an authoritative Trump presidency.
Abortion Proposal
Gayatri Malhotra/Unsplash
Florida Amendment 4, also known as the “Right to Abortion Initiative” is a ballot proposal that voters will decide on during the upcoming 2024 general election.
The amendment would change the Florida constitution’s declaration of rights to ensure: “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.”
Supporting Abortion
Supporters of the amendment, as part of their “Yes on 4” campaign held rallies in the state earlier this year to get the word out about it.
“They should have the right to determine whether they bring a child into the world or whether they need an abortion for other healthcare reasons,” said supporter Gail Quinn to NPR.
Current Abortion Context
A recent decision by the Florida Supreme Court allowed a 6-week abortion ban to take effect. This ban prohibits seeking abortions past this time with very limited exceptions.
The measure effectively reduced the abortion time limit from a previous 15-week ban that went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
Heritage Celebrates
An arm of the Heritage Foundation known as Heritage Action for America had previously lobbied for the six-week abortion legislation and celebrated its signing by DeSantis.
“Today marks a historic victory in the fight to protect life. By signing SB 300 into law, Governor DeSantis has ensured unborn babies with beating hearts will be protected from the Left’s extreme abortion-for-all agenda that promotes abortion up to the moment of birth and infanticide even after a baby survives a botched abortion,” said a Heritage Action for America statement. “Floridians are grateful to the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis for upholding their values and implementing common-sense policies to defend the unborn.”
Hindering the Amendment
Now, reports indicate that DeSantis has tapped conservative operatives at the Heritage Foundation to help create an anti-abortion “financial impact statement” that voters will have to see when deciding whether to vote for the abortion protection measure at the polls.
This statement would inform viewers about the impact abortions have on several topics, including the public budget, birth rates, and negative effects on state revenues.
Affecting Births
The statement paired with the amendment would warn voters about the large impact it could have on Florida births if it the initiative passes.
“The proposed amendment would result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida,” the statement reads. “The increase in abortions could be even greater if the amendment invalidates laws requiring parental consent before minors undergo abortions and those ensuring only licensed physicians perform abortions.”
Budget Worries
Another argument brought up in the statement is that it’s unclear just how much the amendment will cost Florida taxpayers.
“There is also uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds. Litigation to resolve those and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government and state courts that will negatively impact the state budget,” said the statement.
Affecting Revenues
The statement also tries to warn voters that its potential passage will have a negative impact on revenue, concluding that the total financial impact of the amendment cannot be determined.
“An increase in abortions may negatively affect the growth of state and local revenues over time. Because the fiscal impact of increased abortions on state and local revenues and costs cannot be estimated with precision, the total impact of the proposed amendment is indeterminate,” the statement concludes.
Heritage’s Involvement
Republicans were successful in pushing through the new impact language by remaking the Financial Impact Estimating Conference with new political appointees. One such appointee was Rachel Grezler, a policy staffer at the Heritage Foundation. According to Rolling Stone, Grezler was paid $75 an hour to represent the Florida State House.
DeSantis has also been paying outsiders to help influence the language of the financial statement.
Making Assumptions
Michelle Morton, a lawyer for the ACLU of Florida, accused the Financial Impact Estimating Conference of drafting the impact statement to conform with political assumptions.
“Normally, when a [Financial Impact Estimating Conference] reconvenes, the panel doesn’t change. It’s made up of full time professional staff pulled from relevant estimating conferences. Normally, the [conference] focuses on these direct impacts of proposed amendments, and normally they cite peer reviewed studies, including competing evidence underlying their assumptions,” said Morton.
Real Concerns
However, Chris Spencer, a longtime DeSantis aide and appointed member of the conference, asserted that the concerns raised are legitimate and should be put in front of voters to decide on.
“There’s a real outcome here that the state could be forced to pay 100 percent of the costs of abortions every year, tens of thousands of them, that they’re not currently paying for, and I think that’s something material enough that it needs to be considered,” said Spencer.
