The FCC chairman is condemning Florida health officials after it was reported that they sent a letter to a local station urging it to stop airing an abortion rights ad.
Florida's Ron DeSantis Threatened a TV Station Over This Abortion Ad
"Broadcasters' right to free speech is rooted in the First Amendment," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. "Threats against broadcasters who air content that conflicts with the government's views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech."
Florida Politics reported that the state Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to broadcasters regarding the airing of ads for the state's Amendment 4, which would enshrine the right to abortion in the state Constitution.
In one of the ads, a woman diagnosed with brain cancer while pregnant with her second child says, “The doctors knew that if I didn’t terminate my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mother. Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine.”
