Debbie Mucarsel-Powell & other FL Dems again take on Rick Scott’s position on abortion rights

With a six-week abortion ban poised to go into effect in Florida next month, Democrats on Thursday once again went after Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s position on the law, which has been contradictory in just the past few days.

“On Tuesday Rick Scott doubled down on his support for Florida’s near total abortion ban, just 24 hours after claiming that he no longer supported it,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the leading Democrat running to challenge Scott in November, speaking on a Zoom call with reporters. “Rick Scott can’t help but embrace the most extreme policies that are stripping away Floridians of their freedoms and that are putting women’s lives in danger.”

Scott, seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate, did tell Spectrum Bay News 9 in a video interview on Tuesday that, “If I was the sitting governor, and the six-week abortion ban came in front of me, I would sign it,” adding that “I’ve always said I would sign it.”

But he then went on to say that what the state ought to be doing is finding a consensus on the issue, which he told The Hill on Monday is a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and to preserve the life of the mother.

Murcasel-Powell and Florida Democrats are leaning into the issue of abortion rights, which will be on the ballot in November in the form of Amendment 4, which, if approved by 60% of the voters, would restore a woman’s right to an abortion up until viability.

An hour before video Murcasel-Powell’s press conference, a trio of Tampa Bay Democrats from the Florida House — Dianne Hart, Susan Valdes, and Lindsay Cross — spoke at a press conference in downtown Tampa, where they also linked the six-week ban with Sen. Scott.

“His words and actions show that his values do not include personal freedom and that he lacks the compassion for those who may opt for an abortion,” said Valdes. “There are so many reasons why someone may make this deeply personal decision to have one. Maybe their birth control failed, or they were the victims of rape or incest, or carrying a pregnancy would endanger their lives.”

“The reproductive rights of millions of women in Florida are on the line this November. Not just with Amendment 4, but up and down the ballot. From Rick Scott to Republicans in Tallahassee, none of them support your right to choose,” added Cross, who like every member of the state House of Representatives is also on the ballot this fall.

‘Archaic, punitive, and dangerous’

Also appearing in Tampa was Dr. Bruce Shepherd, a retired obstetrician-gynecologist who practiced in Tampa for 40 years and says he delivered more than 7,500 babies during his medical career.

“The legislation is archaic, punitive, and dangerous,” he said of the six-week law. “At six weeks many women do not know they are pregnant.” He went on to say that “it will profoundly compromise the management of miscarriages by making doctors reluctant to get involved until the worst possible complications arise.”

The press conferences took place on the same day that a new poll of Florida voters showed that while abortion rights are a major issue in the election, they are not the top issue among the electorate.

The Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab and Mainstreet Research survey released on Thursday shows that immigration is the top concern at 25%, followed by the economy at 22% and the cost of living at 15%, with abortion in fourth place at 13%.

Murcasel-Powell said that she’s aware of what the top issues are for Floridians and that she talks constantly about affordability out on the trail. But she added that “abortion rights is going to be a priority for the majority of Floridians.”

Confusion

Confusion about where Scott stood on the six-week abortion ban in Florida surfaced a year ago.

In an interview with Noticias Telemundo in Miami on March 11, 2023, Scott was asked if he supported a six-week abortion ban in Florida, which at the time was only a proposal filed by Vero Beach Republican state Sen. Erin Grall that was moving through the legislative session. Scott said he preferred a 15-week ban.

“That’s a tough issue for people,” he said. “You really have to be really compassionate about what people are going [through]. I think where most people are is reasonable restrictions, and probably for most people that’s about 15 weeks, with all of the exceptions. And so you ought to have exceptions for rape and incest and life of the mother, and so I think that’s where the population is, and I think … our state legislation ought to represent that.”

But during a debate about the bill on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives a month later, Gainesville House Democrat Yvonne Hinson spoke out against the proposal, saying that “even conservative U.S. Senator Rick Scott came out against this bill.”

That led a Florida Phoenix reporter to tweet out Hinson’s comments. Shortly thereafter, Scott responded on X, writing, “Not true,” he wrote. “I am 100% pro-life and if I was still governor, I would sign this bill,” meaning the six-week abortion ban.

The FAU survey also showed that many voters are still not clear on how they will vote on Amendment 4 in the fall. The poll showed 49% supporting the measure, 19% opposing it, but 32% saying that they don’t know how they’ll vote.

That’s similar to an Emerson College poll released last week that showed the measure getting 42% support, 25% opposing it, and 32% saying that they are unsure how they would vote.