Gov. DeSantis pushes Floridians to vote against Amendment 4 alongside doctors in Clearwater

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Clearwater on Tuesday, where he continued to push Floridians to vote against amendments on the ballots, specifically amendments 3 and 4.

He urged voters who don't fully understand the amendments to vote 'no.'

The governor was joined by several doctors who stood behind him during his remarks.

Also in attendance were Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida and former Head Coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tony Dungy.

DeSantis claimed Amendment 4 was written with the intent to deceive the public and argued that miscarriage care would not be affected by Florida's current abortion laws.

However, the text was approved by the Florida Supreme Court.

"It revokes the right of parental consent," the governor said.

But advocates of Amendment 4 have said that is not true. They argue the amendment on the ballot says it does not change the legislature's constitutional authority to require consent of a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion. (A 2020 state law requires written parental consent before a minor undergoes an abortion.)

The state’s Healthcare Administration Agency, Department of Children and Families, Department of Health and Department of Education are all reported to have spent millions to influence voters.

Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan research institute and government watchdog, argues that this shouldn’t be happening. The group has said it’s fundamentally wrong to use public money for campaigning.

“The problem I have with this is they’re using my taxpayer dollars, your taxpayer dollars on this Amendment that the voters get the ultimate say. This is the voters chance to tell government how they feel about a public policy issue, it shouldn’t be the government telling voters how they should feel," Ben Wilcox of Integrity Florida said.

NBC6 asked Florida's Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez about the use of public funds for TV ads on Tuesday.

"Critics say it’s inappropriate, it’s unusual to do that. I’d say it’s a responsibility the state has to educate individuals to know what they’re voting for," Nunez said. "It’s absolutely appropriate, the state has always done PSA’s it’s always educated it’s voters."

Some physicians at DeSantis' press conference Tuesday also took a moment to express their disapproval of Amendment 4.

"Trying to change the law using an irreversible, extreme constitutional amendment is like using a chainsaw to remove an appendix," Dr. Kathi Aultman said.

Tony Dungy also said he's concerned about the vague language of the amendment, which he felt was similar to the amendment passed in his home state of Michigan, and urged voters to do further research.

These remarks come just days after a reproductive rights rally in Fort Lauderdale, in which a Broward mother shared that she nearly died after her water broke at 16 weeks of pregnancy but was denied healthcare following a miscarriage.

"The doctor told me that I was going to lose our baby but because of Florida's extreme abortion laws, they couldn't provide the care I needed and I was forced to go home -- told to wait until my condition got worse," she explained. "This was the worst experience of my life."

Opponents of Amendment 4 also argue that it will allow for late-term abortions because it doesn't define viability; however, viability is already defined in Florida law as the stage of fetal development when the life of a fetus is sustainable outside the womb through standard medical measures.