Tallahassee, FL – WPTV’s Jamie Ostroff recently published a “fact check” of No on 4’s ad that contains a number of misleading statements and outright falsehoods from proponents of Amendment 4. In response, No on 4 is fact-checking her “fact-check”.
MYTH 1: Ostroff begins the report with a misleading statement about what Amendment 4 would do: “Your vote on the proposed amendment will decide whether Florida adds abortion protections to the state constitution, effectively overturning the current six-week ban on most abortions.”
FACT CHECK: Current Florida law allows exceptions to the six-week limit in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking. The law also allows doctors to terminate a pregnancy at any point if it’s necessary to save the mother’s life or prevent serious injury to the mother.
The extremists behind Amendment 4 are misleading voters by claiming that it would simply “overturn” the current law. In fact, Amendment 4 would go much further, by changing Florida’s constitution to remove crucial protections like parental consent, the requirement for medical doctors’ oversight, and any limits on when elective abortions can be performed.
MYTH 2: Ostroff includes a quote from an ACLU attorney who claims, “the amendment is clear that if an abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s health, the government can’t stop that from happening.”
FACT CHECK: By including this ACLU activist’s statement without context, Ostroff allows the ACLU to mislead viewers about current Florida law. Ostroff should have informed her viewers that it is already legal to terminate a pregnancy in Florida if doctors determine that the mother’s life is at risk or she is at risk of serious bodily harm. The idea that the government can “stop that from happening” is a myth intended to manipulate and confuse voters.
MYTH 3: Ostroff includes a quote from Lauren Brenzel, the campaign director for Yes on 4, who claims “Nowhere do we discuss anyone but a doctor providing medical care to patients.”
FACT CHECK: The language of Amendment 4 itself proves that this claim is false. The text of Amendment 4 does not include the regulated terms “doctor” or “physician”. Instead, Amendment 4 would allow any “healthcare provider” to approve and perform abortions.
Medical doctors are licensed and subject to strict standards of professional conduct. By contrast, “healthcare provider” is a general term, not a regulated profession – it can mean someone working at the front desk at a Planned Parenthood clinic, even if that person has no medical training.
Current Florida law requires a licensed physician’s involvement in an abortion, because of the inherent risks of a chemical or surgical procedure. If Amendment 4’s backers truly had women’s health in mind when writing the amendment, why did they intentionally use the phrase “healthcare provider” to remove that requirement?
The Yes on 4 campaign knows that once Floridians learn the truth about Amendment 4, they are more likely to oppose it. That’s why the Yes on 4 director is lying about the fact that Amendment 4 would permit non-physicians to approve and perform abortions. It is the responsibility of a journalist to correct disinformation like this, but instead, Ostroff simply provided a platform for Yes on 4’s lies.
THE FACTS:
Amendment 4 would:
Permit elective abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy, even if there are no health concerns for the mother or baby.
Permit non-physicians to determine when and if an abortion can be performed, even in late pregnancy when the health risks to the mother can be very serious.
Remove common-sense maternal health and safety regulations.
Eliminate parental consent for minors, undercutting parental rights.
Amendment 4 is not what it seems. It’s far too extreme for Florida. We will continue to shine a light on the radical agenda behind Amendment 4 so that Floridians can make an informed decision.
It is notable that Jamie Ostroff has not yet done a fact-check of the recent Yes on 4 ad that was thoroughly debunked and even labeled “mostly false” by Politifact. We hope that, going forward, reporters and media outlets will better serve the people of Florida by doing a more thorough job scrutinizing the claims of the radical groups behind Amendment 4. Voters deserve the truth, and it’s the responsibility of an honest journalist to provide that.
