'Fascist': Liberal critics melt down after Florida voters reject abortion law change

Liberal social media commentators and left-wing media figures criticized Florida voters and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for rejecting an amendment that would have created a constitutional right to abortion, calling its failure “blatantly fascist.”

“He has done everything, including, as you said, threats and whatever is necessary to ensure that this amendment does not exploit the power of the government in a way that is, I would say, openly fascist and very determined,” MSNBC's Joy Reid said on air Tuesday night that Florida's Amendment 4 failed.

DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act into law last year, which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This year, Florida residents voted on Amendment 4. the Right to Abortion Initiative, which campaigned to repeal the ban.

In Florida, constitutional amendments must be approved with 60% of the vote, not a simple majority. Amendment 4 was supported by a majority of voters but failed to reach the 60 percent threshold, prompting intense criticism from Democrats, left-wing media and pro-choice advocates.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks to his supporters during a caucus night party on January 15, 2024 in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

“Desantis' dirty tricks pay off as Florida abortion measure fails,” reads a Rolling Stone headline published Tuesday night. And social media users chimed in with expletives aimed at voters who opposed the ballot measure.

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Other commenters directed vitriol at DeSantis and voters who rejected the amendment.

“No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion before it is viable or when necessary to protect the health of the patient, as determined by the patient's health care provider. This amendment does not change the legislature's constitutional authority to require prior notice to a parent or guardian “A minor is having an abortion,” the amendment states.

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Republicans and religious leaders in the state have railed against the pro-choice amendment in the months leading up to Election Day, including DeSantis, who said the amendment's potential passage would mean “the end of the pro-life movement.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis takes the stage at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

“If you care about building a culture of life in this state or this country, then I think the victory in Florida really represents the end of the pro-life movement,” DeSantis said in September during an event at Jesuit High School in Tampa This was reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

“If you look at the state of Florida, we don’t have a pro-life majority,” DeSantis warned. “We have a large part, but we do not have a majority. If only pro-life people are against it, it could very well happen.”

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Catholic leaders in the state had also called the change “extremely serious” and urged all “Floridians of good will” to vote against it.

Florida residents wait in line at a polling station to cast their votes for local, state and national elections on November 3, 2024 in Clearwater, Florida. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)

“We call on all Floridians of goodwill to oppose the legalization of late-term abortion and to oppose the abortion amendment. In doing so, we will not only protect the weakest, most innocent, and most defenseless in human life among us, but also countless women everywhere.” “We will protect the state from the harms of abortion,” the Catholic bishops of Florida said in a statement Opinion on Amendment 4.

After it failed to pass, pro-life and religious groups celebrated the news as a huge victory for the pro-life movement.

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“The defeat of Amendment 4 in Florida is a major victory for the entire state, especially its most vulnerable. Proponents of Amendment 4 used the same game plan as other states, relying on fear-mongering and disinformation, backed by a funding advantage of tens of millions of non-governmental dollars,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement.

“But Floridians rejected the proposal when they learned it would open the floodgates to abortions, any time, for any reason, funded by taxpayers. We are grateful to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has led the effort from the beginning to prevent abortion, launched a pro-abortion lie campaign, and exposed the ugly truth about Amendment 4.”

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