Reports show multiple people were apprehended by the Florida police for their roles in a fraudulent petition drive that sought to constitutionally protect abortion up to the last minute.
This week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) made an announcement on the arrest of a hired petition circulator and the issuance of an arrest warrant for another individual. They are accused of filing 133 invalid petitions for a constitutional amendment in many counties.
One of the proposed amendments is that no law should be passed that forbids, penalizes, delays, or restricts abortion prior to viability or when the patient’s healthcare professional determines that it is essential to safeguard the patient’s health.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a heartbeat bill into law in April 2023. The state currently forbids abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. For the time being, the Supreme Court of Florida is reviewing a challenge to a statute that would safeguard the unborn as early as six weeks of gestation. If the court’s decision is favorable to the legislation, the verdict will take 30 days to take effect.
Local reports show Jamie L. Johnson, 47, is facing ten felony counts, including one each of signing a petition under a false identity.
30-year-old George Edward Andrews III was taken into custody at Hernando County Jail on ten felony counts of misappropriating private information and affixing a forged signature to a petition.
Caitlin Connors of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has accused pro-abortion interest groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, of deceit and cheating to gain a spot on the ballot, claiming the ACLU is using dark money to conceal their extreme abortion policy and parental rights.
Connors accuses abortion proponents of using misleading wording in the amendment and engaging in criminal behavior despite the fact that over 60% of voters supported Florida’s statute protecting newborns. She has faith that Floridians will not be tricked into adopting the amendment by the abortion industry’s efforts to flout laws.
To circumvent pro-life legislation, abortion advocates have relied on state ballot initiatives and amendments since June 2022, when Roe v. Wade was reversed.
