DeSantis using state money, time and his power to fight abortion rights measure

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — After a month of updating Floridians on hurricanes, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now focusing his official office on fighting an abortion rights amendment, holding a campaign-like rally at state expense two weeks before the election.

DeSantis' event Monday, which was capped with a prayer from the archbishop of Miami and the lieutenant governor asking people to not vote like atheists, came after the Department of Health's top lawyer resigned over a letter he said the governor's office forced him to send to television stations in an effort to stop a pro-Amendment 4 ad.

“When you're dealing with constitutional amendments your default should always be no,” DeSantis said at the event attended by doctors who opposed the abortion amendment. “You can always alter normal policies and legislation. Once it's in the constitution, that's forever. You really have zero chance of ever changing. it.”

Just before the event, former Department of Health top lawyer John Wilson signed an affidavit stating that lawyers for DeSantis wrote a letter under his name and told him to mail it to television stations threatening legal action if they continued to air a Yes on 4 ad.