Stealing From Poor Kids to Ban Abortion, the Ron DeSantis Story

12.12.25

Click to skip ahead: Attacks on Democracy reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used money meant for poor children to fund his campaign against Amendment 4. In the States, news from Florida, South Dakota, Idaho, South Carolina, New York, and more. Local Laws, National Strategy checks in with anti-abortion zoning and ‘trafficking’ ordinances. In the Nation has the latest on the ACA fight. New Anti-Abortion Dark Money Group looks into Josh Hawley’s bizarro Live, Laugh, Love organization. Finally, in AED x Katie Couric, check out Jessica’s livestream conversation about the year in abortion with one of our faves.

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Attacks on Democracy

Absolutely despicable: A bombshell investigation from the Miami Herald found that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rerouted $35 million in taxpayer dollars to defeat a pro-choice ballot measure in 2024. Want to know what ‘pro-life’ politics looks like? It’s this:

“Much of the state money was intended to assist needy Floridians, including children. Instead, it paid for political consultants, lawyers and thousands of advertisements that helped DeSantis and his supporters win at the ballot box.”

That’s right, DeSantis diverted millions of dollars meant for poor children to stop Floridians from protecting abortion rights. We knew that the Republican governor used taxpayer dollars to beat back Amendment 4—Abortion, Every Day was tracking his attacks in the lead-up to November. But this is beyond the pale.

A refresher: Most Florida voters want abortion rights protected. In fact, the pro-choice measure won 57% of the vote, but the threshold for constitutional amendments in Florida is 60%. And that majority support came in spite of DeSantis’ unprecedented, multi-million dollar campaign against the measure.

A few of his greatest hits: DeSantis weaponized state agencies to run a disinformation campaign against Amendment 4. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) created an entire website dedicated to lying about the amendment—like claiming it would endanger women’s lives—and ran ads insisting the state’s ban was perfectly safe.

DeSantis also directed the state health department to threaten television stations and journalists with criminal charges for running Amendment 4 ads, and he launched a bogus voter fraud investigation into those who supported the amendment. He even had cops showing up at voters’ homes!

Now we know those attacks were funded by dollars meant to go to needy children. The Herald also reports that “at least $21.2 million moved through an intricate web of financial transactions across five state agencies to a handful of vendors.” In other words, they were trying to cover their tracks.

How many different ways can Republicans prove that they don’t care about children, families, or what voters want??

In the States

Let’s stick with Florida for a minute, where—despite an existing 6-week ban that voters don’t want—Republicans are advancing even more abortion restrictions.

First up there’s House Bill 663, which would allow a “family member” to sue over a woman’s abortion. That means a woman’s partner, parent, or sibling could bring a lawsuit against anyone they believe was involved in her abortion. And while the primary target is healthcare providers, the legislation is broad enough that it appears anyone who helps a woman obtain care could be at risk. (I’m thinking about abortion funds, specifically.)

What’s more, the subject of the suit wouldn’t have to be in Florida—the legislation allows family members to sue regardless of a state’s abortion protections—and they could sue even over an attempted abortion.

Then there’s Republicans’ fetal personhood bill: for three years, Sen. Erin Grall has introduced legislation to allow parents to sue for wrongful death of a fetus, embryo, or fertilized egg. And while Grall claims this has nothing to do with codifying fetal personhood, we all know that’s the actual end-goal. (To learn more about the fetal personhood movement, consider rewatching AED’s conversation with law professor and author Mary Ziegler.)

Over in South Dakota, Republican leaders are still trying to stifle free speech: the governor and attorney general are threatening Mayday Health over their gas station ad campaign—which informs women that they can access abortion pills by mail. As AED reported earlier this week, Attorney General Marty Jackley sent the group a cease-and-desist letter, claiming the ads violate a consumer protection law.

Samantha Chapman from the ACLU of South Dakota called it “political theater at the taxpayer’s expense.”

“This targeted attack against information about abortion violates our First Amendment right to share and receive information and puts a target on any other organization or individual who dares to share information that the governor disfavors.”

Something else to note: since the threats from South Dakota Republicans, the ads are being removed from gas stations—but not by Mayday Health. It appears that someone is going around removing posters; it’s unclear if it’s law enforcement, an anti-abortion activist, or gas station employees concerned over the legal threats. Whatever is happening here, it’s an attack on pro-choice speech.

Idaho has been one of the hardest-hit states since the end of Roe, with doctors fleeing the state over its strict abortion ban. In fact, Idaho has lost about a quarter of all OBGYNs, who are terrified that doing their job—even in emergency situations—will land them in prison or stripped of their medical licenses.

We already know the public health impacts are devastating: just 23 OBGYNs are responsible for caring for 569,000 Idahoans, all while the state ranks in the top five fastest-growing states in the nation.

And now, a new study reports that the state is losing about $125 million every year as a result of the OBGYN exodus. (At a time when the state has a projected $58.3 million budget deficit.) And Idaho isn’t alone—a study published earlier this year showed abortion bans have cost the U.S. economy more than $133 billion every year.

After all, large swaths of the labor force won’t work in states that ban abortion. Residents of abortion-banned states are moving away in droves. Prospective college students aren’t even applying to college in abortion-banned states. Medical students are avoiding banned states, too.

It can’t be emphasized enough: Abortion is an economic issue.

Let’s check in with South Carolina, where it’s been about a month since anti-abortion activist Mark Baumgartner was caught on video shooting a man in the parking lot of a Planned Parenthood clinic. New records obtained by the Post and Courier show that his victim required hospitalization after being shot in the stomach.

Baumgartner is set to appear in Richland County criminal court on January 30; he’s charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Police say they’re still investigating the motive for the shooting—a fairly laughable statement. While it’s unclear what started the altercation between Baumgartner and the man he shot, the anti-abortion activist is the leader of a ‘sidewalk counseling’ group known to harass Planned Parenthood patients and staff. He’s also openly called for people who have abortions to be punished with murder charges. We all know what happened here.

“You just want to scream…she’s my daughter, my first daughter. I think about her every day. She would have wanted for her parents to have a choice to make the decisions for her because she couldn’t.”

- Adriana Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, to ABC News

Finally, if you’re in New York, it’s a good time to show some support for the Hospital Transparency Act—which is on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk right now. S.3486/A.3862 requires hospitals to disclose whether they refuse to provide certain kinds of care, like abortions and gender-affirming care.

I don’t think I need to explain why this is so important: with hospitals across the country being taken over by religious health systems, we’re watching women denied vital, life-saving abortions—even in pro-choice states. New York already protects abortion rights, providers, and patients; so this bill is a no-brainer. From New York Senator Michelle Hinchey:

“Behind closed doors, hospitals in New York can quietly cave to federal pressure and eliminate lifesaving healthcare this administration deems unworthy—without public notice, without accountability, and with devastating consequences for New Yorkers who need care.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Hochul vetoed this legislation last year—saying it was a cost issue. (Groups like the NYCLU and NIRH refute that, writing that they believe the governor was “relying on misguided information.”)

So if you’re in New York, consider contacting the governor to urge her to sign the Hospital Transparency Act—the NYCLU even has a form letter you can use!

Quick hits:

• A Maine Democrat running for Congress is being called out for an old anti-abortion vote;

• Indiana Public Media explains the religious freedom challenge to the state abortion ban;

• And The Copper Courier explains why Arizona doctors are legally challenging some of the state’s abortion restrictions.

Local Laws, National Strategy

If you ever want to know what Republicans want for the whole country, just check in on local ordinances—that’s often where they give the game away. Consider Lynchburg, Virginia: we told you last month that the Lynchburg City Council was advancing an ordinance that would informally ban abortion by preventing clinics from operating within a thousand feet of churches, public libraries, schools, parks, children’s museums, and day care centers.

In other words, they’re trying to weaponize zoning laws.

The good news is that the Lynchburg Planning Commission voted this week to deny that ordinance. The bad news is that their recommendation now goes back to the city council, which voted unanimously to advance the rule. We’ll keep you updated on what happens in Lynchburg, but keep an eye out for ordinances like this if you’re in a pro-choice state: conservative lawmakers think they can bypass state abortion protections with bullshit local attacks.

Meanwhile, in anti-abortion states, activists are still passing local ‘anti-trafficking’ ordinances—which make it illegal to help women get an out-of-state abortion. This week, three more Texas cities passed “Sanctuary City for the Unborn” ordinances—bringing the total number of counties and cities that have adopted the measures close to one hundred.

The so-called ‘trafficking’ ordinances aren’t criminal laws; instead, they allow people to bring civil suits against anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. The point is to institute a chilling effect—making women too afraid to travel for care, and their normal support systems too afraid to help them.

Let’s be serious about what these really are: informal, local travel bans. And while AED started writing about the ordinances over two years ago, we still don’t hear about them nearly enough:

Breaking the Overton Window 

In the Nation

Republicans are obsessed with holding healthcare hostage over abortion. As you surely know by now, the GOP is trying to pass a national backdoor abortion ban: they’re refusing to renew Affordable Care Act tax credits unless Congress bans any ACA plan from covering abortion—even those funded by pro-choice states.

Anti-abortion groups are already upset that the Trump administration has been noticeably quiet on the matter, and now they’re worried that Congressional Democrats might be able to cut a deal with enough Republicans to pass an extension without that new ban.

That’s why top anti-abortion officials are unsubtly threatening to blacklist any Republicans who comply. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, suggested that Congressional Republicans should fear the anti-abortion lobby more than they do Donald Trump. “Who’s going to be around longer?” Perkins said to the Washington Examiner.

“I’ve been here in D.C. for 20 years. There is an element of self-preservation … Do you want someone running against you that pointed out that you voted for federal funding of abortion if you’re running in a solid conservative district from a red state?”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, meanwhile, has threatened to note on Republicans’ score cards if they strike a deal with Democrats that doesn’t include the backdoor ban. The group made the announcement in a letter to lawmakers that said signatories on the discharge petition would be “scored negatively” and it would affect the lawmakers’ standing on their “member’s profile on SBA Pro-Life America’s National Pro-Life Scorecard.”

No matter how Republicans vote, we’re in this situation because anti-abortion extremists care more about forcing us to give birth than they do about whether any of us can afford health care. (So fuck them.)

Quick hits:

• The Washington Post on the growing influence of Christian “momfluencers”;

• CBS News and States Newsroom have more on the new mifepristone lawsuit;

• And more on the Republican bill that would fundamentally change abortion training for medical students.

New Anti-Abortion Dark Money Group

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and his wife, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Erin Hawley, have launched a creepy new dark money group designed to pressure women to pop out babies—and implement policies that won’t give us any other choice.

The Hawleys tell Axios that their project, the eerily named “Love Life Initiative,” will aggressively support out-and-proud anti-abortion candidates. Hawley bemoans that “elected officials have been more and more reluctant to comment” or take action on abortion—arguing Republicans shouldn’t stay quiet because, supposedly, “your everyday working person” supports abortion extremism.

The reality? 81% of voters don’t want the government interfering in our pregnancies.

“We think there needs to be a strong voice advocating for life—not just politically, but culturally,” Hawley added. To that end, the group will also “run pro-family national ad campaigns” including, they hope, a Super Bowl ad this February.

That cultural push fits nicely into the White House’s escalating obsession with pro-natalism—from RFK Jr.’s fearmongering teens’ “low sperm count,” to the GOP’s efforts to defund the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and the ongoing obliteration of sex education. And while we don’t know who is financially backing the “Love Life Initiative,” it sounds very much like what ultraconservative billionaire Leonard Leo has been calling for.

What the Hawleys and their ilk never acknowledge, of course, is one of the most obvious reasons (among many) that people are delaying or avoiding parenthood: the abortion bans they champion are actively endangering women’s lives—and, in some cases, ending them.

Hawley’s fixation on forcing a national backdoor abortion ban—specifically through eliminating insurance coverage—is currently holding Affordable Care Act tax credits hostage, threatening to make health care unaffordable for millions. That makes Erin Hawley’s claim to Axios—that women seek abortions mainly because they “lack support”—particularly grotesque.

And for all the Hawleys’ preaching of ‘family values’ and trad-family posturing, here’s your reminder that Erin Hawley, herself, has a thriving career as an anti-abortion attorney! Meanwhile, Josh Hawley’s infantile attempts to cosplay traditional masculinity have resulted in a string of humiliation rituals—like his bizarre appearances at monster truck shows and other sad attempts at being one of the guys.

All in service of a man obsessively invested in controlling what women do with their bodies.

AED x Katie Couric

I spoke with the inimitable Katie Couric this week about what the past year in abortion rights has actually been like. It was a wide-ranging, candid conversation—and a good one to share if you want people to understand what’s happening across the country. Watch the full discussion on Katie’s Substack, or see a clip below.