{"id":55797,"date":"2022-10-23T14:57:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T18:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/?p=55797"},"modified":"2022-10-23T14:57:53","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T18:57:53","slug":"desantis-sidestepped-specifics-on-florida-abortion-law-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/2022\/10\/desantis-sidestepped-specifics-on-florida-abortion-law-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis sidestepped specifics on Florida abortion law changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t known for his subtlety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But when it comes to abortion, an issue that, after the fall of Roe v. Wade over the summer, became top of mind to the voters he’ll ask next month for a second term, DeSantis has taken an uncharacteristically avoidant approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor vowed in June to\u00a0“expand pro-life protections”\u00a0after the Supreme Court\u00a0handed down the opinion overturning Roe\u00a0but otherwise have either not addressed or declined to elaborate on his vision for abortion policy in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocates on both sides of the issue told the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida that the most likely next step is a so-called heartbeat bill banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as mail-in voting has begun ahead of the November election, DeSantis has faced renewed criticism from state Democrats over his silence on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0published a leaked version<\/a>\u00a0of the Supreme Court opinion in May, throwing abortion into the center stage of midterm election politics, the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida counted at least 10 times DeSantis dodged specifics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico publishes leaked opinion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeSantis did not issue statements on the governor’s website<\/a> or Twitter<\/a> accounts<\/a> reacting to the news. He also wouldn’t say during a news conference whether he would seek more restrictions beyond the 15-week ban (House Bill 5<\/a>) that went into effect in July, according to Politico<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor released a statement on Twitter<\/a> on June 24 saying he would “work to expand pro-life protections.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full statement read: “The prayers of millions have been answered. For nearly fifty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited virtually any meaningful pro-life protection, but this was not grounded in the text, history, or structure of the Constitution. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people’s role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts. Florida will continue to defend its recently-enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care, and child welfare.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public appearances after ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the post-Roe statement, DeSantis “has not seemed eager to engage on the issue,” the\u00a0Tallahassee Democrat<\/u><\/em>\u00a0reported\u00a0on July 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn’t mention the ruling “during two more recent public appearances and didn\u2019t take questions from reporters after either event. He hasn\u2019t spoken publicly about the ruling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor’s office declines to weigh in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same\u00a0Democrat<\/em>\u00a0story, governor’s office-turned-campaign spokesperson Christina Pushaw declined to say whether DeSantis would pursue a six-week ban, which he said he supported during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018. From the article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Asked if the governor will pursue such a measure, which leading Florida anti-abortion activists have pointed to as a preferred next step in recent days, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said \u2018we very much look forward to pursuing additional legislative protections for the unborn but did not offer specifics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In subsequent articles published in July by three more news outlets, representatives from the governor’s office also declined to elaborate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n