Florida's anti-abortion operatives are working overtime

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     September 9, 2024 Republicans keep saying that Dobbs didn't ban abortion, exactly; it just left it to the states. But it's not as democratic in practice as it might sound: State officials keep making it harder for people to support abortion rights. Take Florida and Missouri, which offer some of the latest examples. In [Florida](, Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has been hard at work trying to dissuade people from voting for Amendment 4, which seeks to override the six-week abortion ban that the Florida Supreme Court [approved]( in April. Their efforts include [a new page]( on the state health department website spewing misinformation about what the amendment would do (DeSantis [defended]( it as a "public service announcement" today); a [fraud inquiry]( into the signatures required to put the amendment before voters (despite the fact that local officials already approved them); and [police visits]( to the homes of some of the signatories (who affirmed that their signatures were legit). Meanwhile, in Missouri, a judge—who happens to be Rush Limbaugh's cousin—[ruled]( Friday that its abortion rights ballot measure should not go before voters in November because it does not specify which specific anti-abortion laws it would repeal, as I [reported]( yesterday. (Advocates say that exact laws for repeal would be determined by future lawsuits.) Oral arguments in the case are [scheduled]( to take place before the state Supreme Court tomorrow morning. These efforts are nothing new: As my [colleagues]( have [chronicled](, Republicans have sought to stymie abortion rights even when their constituents vote to uphold them, or signal their desire to do so. In Florida and Missouri, it's no different: Polling has suggested most voters in both states support their respective abortion rights amendments. But as the post-Dobbs reality has proven time and time again, the will of the people is no match for Republicans hell-bent on banning abortion one state at a time. —Julianne McShane P.S. This week's [episode]( of Reveal—based on a report published in collaboration with [The Marshall Project]( and [USA Today](—is a must-listen. It's about a mother who got caught up in hospitals' practice of drug-testing people before they give birth, despite the fact that many tests are known for being imprecise. For Susan Horton, eating a salad with poppy seeds before she gave birth led to her false positive test—and then a judge ordering her newborn removed from her care. [Listen]( to the episode wherever you get your podcasts to hear Horton's story and those of other women separated from their kids following a false positive. Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [DeSantis’ Government Is Doing Everything It Can to Defeat an Abortion Rights Measure]( Critics say the latest attacks break the law. BY JULIANNE MCSHANE MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   A HUGE OPPORTUNITY A generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift, and we need newsletter readers to help us make the most of it. [Any donation you make online from now until September 30]( will be matched dollar-for-dollar. You know the stakes right now. And with your support going twice as far, Mother Jones can lead the way these next 60 days in showing the corporate media how to cover the unique danger that Trump represents and not make the same mistakes they did in 2016 and 2020. [Please help with a donation if you can](. Even just a few bucks would make a difference—and it will be doubled. [Donate Now]( [Trending] [Trump and Vance have no plan to fix one of America's biggest crises]( BY INAE OH   [Kamala Harris is winning the fundraising race by a mile]( BY RUSS CHOMA   [This organization backed Kamala Harris in 2003. Now it's trying to change the face of politics.]( BY NINA MARTIN   [Let’s be clear: Putin is again trying to put Trump in the White House]( BY DAVID CORN Advertisement [House Bookshop Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [She ate a poppy seed salad just before giving birth. Then they took her baby away.]( “They had a singular piece of evidence that I had taken something, and it was wrong.” BY SHOSHANA WALTER Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755