DeSantis Administration Threatens Tampa Station for Airing Abortion Rights Ad

  Rassegna Stampa, Social
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Ron DeSantis’s administration is threatening Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA with legal action for airing an abortion rights campaign ad.

The ad features a woman named Caroline who needed an abortion and cancer treatments after a brain tumor diagnosis in 2022, which would be illegal because of Florida’s six-week abortion ban.

Orlando Sentinel investigative journalist Jason Garcia posted a letter that The Florida Department of Health sent to WFLA vice president Mark Higgins, which says, in part, “the advertisement is not only false; it is dangerous.”

“The DeSantis administration is now trying to intimidate television stations into taking down ads supporting Amendment 4 – the constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would overturn the near-total abortion ban that Ron DeSantis signed into law last year,” Garcia posted to X.

The department claims the ad is illegal under section 386.01 of Florida law that allows the state to remove any “nuisance” that “threatens or impairs” people’s health.

The Health Department said that if the ad is not removed within 24 hours, the department will initiate legal proceedings to obtain an injunction.

Leon County Democrats posted a response to X saying, “Outrageous bullying using the government. Pure fascism.”

We asked WFLA about it and will update when we hear back.

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https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/desantis-administration-threatens-tampa-station-for-airing-abortion-rights-ad/