In Florida. The state government is attempting to muzzle WFLA News by threatening to criminalize the TV station WFLA Tampa one is a station being intimidated for broadcasting an AD that is pro Amendment four, which would reinstate abortion until
twenty to twenty six weeks now. Of course, Governor DeSantis has been quite outspoken about the six week abortion band that is currently in place, and the letter was sent to the FWFLA station, signed by John Wilson, general counsel for the Florida Department of Health, bullying the station for
airing the ad. Of course, the letter is an attempt to intimidate the press to assist in the objections of the state government by getting them to not air an ad that was produced by the group Floridians Protecting Freedom. This story is from truth Out by Chris Walker and was published October ninth, twenty twenty four. Well, that's an interesting that's a really interesting take on what the state government thinks they can do to the press. I thought
we had freedom of pressed in this country, Cynthia. Do you think the problem is that the Florida laws in this respect are rather vague or do you think they're well enough, well enough to be understood completely. I thought we really came out poorly. I'm sorry.
No, you're fine, you're fine, you know well. The controversy highlights the vagueness of Florida's abortion laws, which could prevent necessary medical procedures even in the life or death situations, right.
And we've actually seen this across the country where people who are pregnant and may not necessarily have viable pregnancies are being denied care because a lot of the abortion laws and even what you can and cannot give as treatment to people who may have either at topic presidencies or if they're miss carrying actual life saving abortions so that they can you know, not die, and Florida happens
to be one of them. So in this particular case, even though Poles actually indicate that the majority of Floridian is actually support amendment, for the amendment faces an uphill battle for approval, requiring a super majority of sixty percent in the upcoming vote. Sounds so much like the Senate filipbuster.
How did they know was that that's a vote in the state congress or are they doing this as a resolution a voter referendum.
That's a voter referendum.
It is it is. How do they and I don't know if you have the answer to this, but how do they justify that super majority the sixty percent? Is there some law that they use for that? I'm not sure, to be honest, like I said, if you don't have the answer, I don't blame you, because I don't expect you to know all of Florida election law.
For god, I know, I'd be like, to be honest with you, I'm not necessarily sure exactly what type of law that they are using for this, you know, like to me, like I said, like when I just mentioned like that the sixty that the sixty vote of filibuster, like the Senate, I almost like feel like this is like an arbitrary number that they're just they're just like, you know, throwing out here in order for this to this put to your refrimendum to become law or not.
And you know, I think there's a larger issue here. And and the larger issue is that putting bands on abortions is severely unpopular somewhere.
I wasn't expecting to go with the larger issue.
Yeah, well, you know, I'm always going to go to the larger issue, Kelly.
No, I got a larger issue to go to too, so go ahead. But yeah, it's a different one, but go ahead.
Okay, Well, you know, so let's just make this whole episode about larger issues.
Larger issue, Cindy.
I'm waiting for your larger issue after I'm done with my Okay, I was.
Just gonna warner to come up with one.
You know, it's like from the top of the dome, which I know you can do, but yeah, I mean, like when we're really talking about abortion bands and and basically like putting these particular arbitrary laws and or like guideposts like on like what you can and cannot do when it comes to these things, it's so unpopular. I would say that that is one of the number one issues that's actually driving people to come out for elections
in twenty twenty four. I would definitely say that. And as we as I mentioned even in like previous segments earlier this earlier this week, you know, when we kind of like you know, glossed over the topic that we have seen real time problems with real people and how abortion bands have affected them adversely, not just in Florida.
It happens in Mississippi. We taught we talked about that here on non profits, happened in Texas, happens in Ohio, it happens in other different red states where we can actually point out specific issues and specific events that have happened to real people when it comes to abortion band and I don't and I don't necessarily want to, you know,
go to the conspiracy the conspiracy route here. But if we're actually looking at, as Cindy would say, observing the different events that have happened in the past, when it comes to all these things, I you know, you almost think that the vagueness of it is you know, intentional, you know, like some of the things like I pointed out, like specifically amendment for it. If you if you don't mind be kind of you know, if you want to give me like some leadway here a little floor, if
you don't mind, I appreciate it. Thank you. So amendment I.
Can't so yeah, I mean.
You can any time, you know what I'm saying. But you know, but I did want to like ask politely, uh if people did not know that I'm one of the producers non profits. But regardless of that, but amendment for in Florida actually seeks to significantly impact abortion rights within the state by establishing constitutional protections for the procedure. And so here are the actual key potential impacts of the amendment. So one is going to enshrine enshrinement of
abortion rights. So if it's passed, the amendment would explicitly protect the right to obtain an abortion in Florida, allowing individuals to access the procedure up to the point of fetal viability typically that is around twenty two to twenty five weeks of pregnancy. Secondly, it's going to counter the current law so Florida is Florida's existing law currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, one of the most restrictive in the country. Amendment four will actually create
a more permissive legal framework, providing broader access to abortion services. Thirdly, it's going to legally it's going to legally give clarity for healthcare providers, which is something that we're seeing. Is so if we're going to talk about vagueness with current abortion laws and abortion bands, that is a big one, right. So this amendment aims to clarify and protect the rights of health care providers to perform abortions without the fear
of legal repercussions, especially in critical medical situations. This could prevent situations where doctors are hesitant to act due two vague legal definitions regarding life threatening circumstances. Fourthly, it will impact women's health or people who have the ability to become pregnant. I don't want to just leave it up to that. With better access to abortion services, the amendment could enhance health outcomes for pregnant individuals, particularly in cases
we're continuing a pregnancy poses significant health risk. Bifly, the political and social repercussions, the passage of this amendment could energize both supporters and opponents of abortion rights, potentially impacting future elections and legislative sessions. It could also lead to
increase activism and funding for reproductive rights organizations. It's also could if an active Potentially the potential and legal challenges the amendment could face immediate legal challenges for anti abortion groups, which you know, that's a thing right, which could lead to prolonged court battles over its interpretation and implications. So that could that definitely would be an issue if you're talking about issues with the law itself being vague. And
then lastly, there's an influence on national trends. So as we all know that this, like like I said, abortion bands is a national issue, especially when you have like about what it is, like about fourteen to fifteen states now in the United States that actually have like you know,
very restrictive abortion bans. So as other state it's observed Florida's actions regarding abortion rights amendment for outcome, could influence similar movements across the country, potentially setting a precedent for other states looking to expand or because there's always another side restrict abortion accents.
I I agree with everything you just said. I don't think it's relevant to what the story is about.
Though.
I think this story is about freedom of the press really and I think, god, what was that sydy? Go ahead?
Yeah, No, I think it's about democracy at its core because it's uh, it's a push to authoritiism. It's basically, I want to decide. I want to be able to decide what you can and can say, yeah, even enduring an ad which which is crazy. But yeah. When I read the article, the first thing that that popped into my mind was the nerve on that guy.
The nerve.
It's almost admirable to have so much hypocrisy and and and lack of shame in just one man. I know, those two characteristics are are pretty much you know, in in the conservative moment, they're pretty much spread, but he pushes them to a level that's that's it's just incredible.
But my my question is how it is not considered election tempering because he's trying to influence an election directly by preventing people to uh to have to listen to an ad that relates to a lot that he's going to be voted on.
Come on, Cindy, you know that's what happens here.
I mean, that's not.
She has a point though. The ad is okay, it's put out by a private group, but this is the government, government office stepping it right. She's kind of a way valid point.
Oh.
I know, I was. I was actually doing sarcasm right now.
And that's why I love you, Cynthia, because you can do it so well.
I think the thing is, uh, as you said, Cynthia, in the US, politics is much much harder than it is in other countries. Like those ads that candidate A is going to air about candidate B and only candidate B, not themselves. That just doesn't exist outside the the the well, not in Europe, at least in in France, for example, political ads are very very limited and and so, and
there isn't as much money spent on politics. I understand that the US is a large country in terms of superfacy, but uh, when I see the amounts of money that spent and and for an entire year because election starts very very early, you know, that's that's just amazing. But having one candidate say, get in.
Our word for what's happening here, you're being quite generous to work on making think yeah, it's very ridiculous.
Yeah, he's he's because the the the amendment for is proposed by the people. It's not the government that proposes a lot that it usually happens. And these popular initiatives as they are called in Europe, they're getting traction slowly
in the world, and it's a good thing. But in this case, you have some people who say, okay, we want to do this, and this is the voice of the people literally, and you have a candidate that says, no, you will not voice your opinion here on on on the public TV on on the private ad that you are, that you have the right to buy an air and and that's, uh, that's pretty much what dictators do. Yeah, they decide to choose, They choose to uh what goes
into the air and what doesn't. And that's exactly what's what what's happening here. That's why I think it's a democracy problem, not well not just uh, an abortion problem, not just an election problem, but democracy problem.
I was gonna say, it was really quick, like as as our colleagues across the pond would say, those are some large bullocks that the governor has displaying right now.
Now. I minded in journalism in college, so when I read this, it really burned me up. That was just really pissed off. And even even if this commercial was full of falsehoods, even if it was a direct lie, as long it was as it was not endangering somebody's health, it doesn't matter. They have the First Amendment backing them up. They can say whatever the hell they want to say, right So, the state of Florida has no business at all telling what Any news organization who has also has
freedom of the press behind them. So we're actually breaking two constitutional freedoms by sending this letter. And that's what really bothered me about that. To me was the big picture is the state of Florida is actually the reason for it is freaking is horrible. And I agree with I don't want to be little anything you said for the first half of this segment, Cynthia, because everything you
said was right on and correct. But I thought the biggest, the big picture at least of this story, was the way that the state was squashing a news organization and thinking that it was legal to do so, that this was something they could get away with constitutionally, which of course it isn't. So that that's the thing that really bothered me about this story.
If I want to interject, just to kind of piggyback on both of what you did, you know, just bringing out that particular point because I gathered that as well, especially when it comes to the bullying from the DeSantis administration about what this particular station can and cannot add. Air. Remember when we talked earlier this week about a lot of people don't know the meetings to certain words like fascism, but they use it incorrectly. This is the prime example of fashion.
Oh yes, totally, yes, it is Yeah, totally agreed.
When the state is interjecting what press can and cannot air, what press and press can and cannot stay, that is fascism because you're controlling the narrative and you're also propagating your particular ideology on the massive That's that's really a very very prime example of what.
It is and not letting any other ideology get through. Correct, right, That's that's that's the bad part of this. We're going to shut down all the bay We're going to shut down any opposing views. And that's that's so an American it is.
That's that's exactly what our experiment.
There's those early warning signs of fascism. There are twelve signs. First is powerful and continuing nationalism. Second is disdain for human rights. Three identification of enemies as unifying cause. Rampant sexism, controlled mass media, obsession with national security, region and government at the twine, corporate power, protected labor power, suppressed these day for intellectual and the arts, obsession with crime and punishment,
and rampant chronism and corruption. That's the earliest signs of fascism. So we'll let everyone look into that and see if there's any parallel with the current situation in the US right now.
I mean yeah, I mean yeah, like, I mean yeah, yeah, you know, scare.
That's the room. So those ar designs have been written in early two thousands by someone who studied all fascist regime regiments between well the entire nineteen twentieth century. So it's not just one thing that someone right wrote, you know, on the piece of papor like this. It's a solid, solid study.
Yeah. And I think that one of the things that I would say, like in just like in a personal observation, just like just being like a student of history, is that fascism always seems to be interjected into a society when you are actually seeing like evolving, evolving thought, when you're seeing like the emergence of people who happen to buck against like particular traditions that have been a placed in societies previously, and with the United States being I
don't necessarily like to call it like a melting pot. I think I call it like a salad, you know. And when you are having different cultures and diversities of people and they're bringing their own traditions and values and things of that nature, that's adding to the greater society. It's going to definitely cause thoughts and and and practices
to change. And definitely people who don't necessarily want to see that change are willing to like really hold on uh as in school day is as a why no to its bottle as much as possible, because they don't want to see that change. They want to keep the status called the way that it is. And and and I really believe that well because he's like shown it is that Rada Santis is definitely a person that has shown himself to be of this milk.
Yeah, you know, excuse me, Keally, just just one point if you don't know, please the.
Girls talking right now talking, Yes, we.
Can go to sleep and we'll just keep going. Yeah. In in in an earlier episode this week, something that we talked about triggered a question in my mind because a lot of religions have died in the history of humanity, right, but we we don't not, as far as I know, an example of a religion that dominated an entire culture for a very very long time that didn't happen. Religion so far, they died slowly naturally and then they were
replaced by a new one. But we are in a situation where there is one dominant religion in our part of the world and another one in another part of the world. There are two bigger religions, and we see that they are slowly dying slowly.
Yeah, and I'm.
Afraid that a way of thinking and the power structure that's behind it, that's been in power for like almost fifteen hundred years, how they will react when they see themselves dying, And I will react exactly. That's the powerallel I was trying to make it. It's the exact same thing here. You have a powerful structure of government based
on men's desires basically, and that's changing slowly. We now see war as something we really really really want to avoid, as opposed to before it was just yeah, I want your territory. Okay, let's let's end the war. And that's changing the mentality. And and now this climate change al so that's coming to the picture. And so yeah, I see a huge parallel between between the two. One uh set of belief link to religion and one set of beliefs link to our structure. Yeah.
I agree.
You know a lot of people in our country are trying to convince us that climate change is a hoax. Yep, sure, I'm just and again.
That's a nice way to put the Kelly.
So I I had a really great time this week with you, get with both of you, with John while he was playing hide and seek with us. It was a great It was a great recording session. I really had a lot of fun and we'd like to hear what you thought about it. So send us an email at TV at Atheist typhoncommunity dot org and tell us what you liked about the show, what you hated about the show, and get rid of that Kelly guy, whatever, whatever you want to say.