Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spent last week rallying against “Amendment 4,” a ballot measure that seeks to add abortion rights to the state Constitution. Joined by healthcare professionals opposed to the measure,
DeSantis hosted events across the state to raise awareness about the potential impact of the proposal.
Speaking at a campaign-style event at Sacred Heart Jacksonville Parish Center on Tuesday, DeSantis emphasized the importance of understanding what is at stake.
“People want to just divert their eyes when we start talking about putting something in the Constitution,” he said. DeSantis, alongside members of Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4, continued his campaign with stops at the Church of the Little Flower’s Comber Hall in Coral Gables and the Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden.
The governor’s efforts to campaign against the amendment drew criticism from supporters of the measure, which arose after DeSantis and the state Legislature enacted a law last year limiting abortions after six weeks.
Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Floridians Protecting Freedom committee, criticized DeSantis’ use of his office for political purposes. “It’s clear the state is hellbent on keeping Florida’s unpopular, cruel abortion ban in place,” Brenzel said in a statement to NSF.
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Shifting focus later in the week, DeSantis addressed “Amendment 3,” a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana. On Thursday, he joined Florida Department of Health Secretary Joseph Ladapo at Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral.
Ladapo warned about the risks of marijuana use, citing studies that link cannabis to increased rates of schizophrenia in young people.
“People don’t know it because unfortunately we have a media that wants you drugged out,” Ladapo asserted. “And they want you drugged out because, hey guess what? You’re easier to control. You’re way more controllable when you’re drugged out.”
DeSantis and Ladapo continued their criticism of the marijuana proposal at an event at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Pensacola on Friday.
Ladapo also joined Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis for similar events in Bartow on Tuesday and Panama City on Wednesday.
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