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April 17, 2024
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Scrambling Scott Is So Extreme, He Can’t Help But Double Down on His Toxic Abortion Record
Orlando Sentinel: Rick Scott on federal abortion ban: “We’ll see what comes up.”
Rick Scott Last Night: “If I was the sitting governor, and the six-week abortion ban came in front of me, I would sign it. I’ve always said I would sign it.”
Miami, FL – New reporting from Orlando Sentinel reveals that Rick Scott’s record on abortion is so extreme, that he can’t help but double down on his support for both Florida’s near-total abortion ban with almost no exceptions AND a federal abortion ban in the Senate.
When asked if he would vote for a federal abortion ban in the Senate, Scott made it clear he’s more than willing to consider it, responding“We’ll see what comes up. We’ll see what it is.”
And just last night, Rick Scott doubled down on his support for Florida’s near-total abortion ban with almost no exceptions, saying, “If I was the sitting governor, and the six-week abortion ban came in front of me, I would sign it. I’ve always said I would sign it.”
“Rick Scrambling Scott is just so extreme, he can’t help but double down on his support for a near-total abortion ban before most women know they are pregnant,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. “And now, he’s leaving the door open for another national abortion ban like the one he co-sponsored. Florida voters can see straight through his lies, and they’re ready to send a clear message that enough is enough come November.”
Orlando Sentinel: Democrat Mucarsel-Powell takes aim at Rick Scott’s changing abortion views
- Last week, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said he would have signed Florida’s 6-week abortion ban if he still were governor. This week, he said he preferred a 15-week ban. And on Monday, within hours, he and his office gave two answers on whether he would consider voting for a federal abortion ban.
- “He’s hiding from a toxic record that he knows he cannot win on,” Mucarsel-Powell said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “He lies about his record time and time again because he knows that the majority of Floridians in this state know who he is, and they don’t want him back in the Senate.”
- “I think it’s a very competitive race,” said Gregory Koger, a professor of political science at the University of Miami. “It’s such a stark choice, and it’ll be hard for any politician to ignore the issue, or to avoid their past positions in the case of Rick Scott.”
- The main issue, Koger said, was “how would Rick Scott actually vote [on abortion] after he’s been reelected? That is the question, and it’s hard for him to address that question within an election year conversion.”
- Asked Monday at a campaign event in Orlando if he would vote for a federal abortion ban in the Senate, Scott said, “We’ll see what comes up. We’ll see what it is. The general rule is that it’s at the state level, that’s what the Supreme Court decided.”
- In response to a Democratic legislator saying Scott had “come out against” the 6-week Florida abortion ban signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Scott wrote on X, “Not true. I am 100% pro-life and if I was still governor, I would sign this bill.”
- “Make no mistake – Rick Scott is fully behind Florida’s extreme abortion ban,” said party spokesperson Alex Wood. “He said he would have signed it into law himself and has pledged to vote to keep it in place. His extreme anti-abortion agenda is out of step with Floridians and will cost him his Senate seat in November.”
- On Monday, though, Scott told The Hill, “in Florida there’s way more consensus around 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.” Asked specifically if he would favor replacing the 6-week ban with a 15-week ban, Scott told The Hill, “If I was writing a bill, I think 15 weeks is where the state is.”
- But on Tuesday night, he said he still would have signed the 6-week bill anyway.
- “If I was governor, and the 6-week abortion ban came in front of me, I would sign it,” he told Spectrum Bay News 9. “I’ve always said I would sign it.”
- Mucarsel-Powell also has slammed Scott for his reaction to the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that enacted an 1864 abortion ban with no exceptions save for the life of the mother.
- Appearing on Fox Business on April 9, Scott said, “Well, look, this is what’s going to happen as a result of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. … We’re going to decide this at the state level. State by state is going to figure this out. I’m sure Arizona will figure this out. So this is exactly what ought to happen.”
- Mucarsel-Powell told the Sentinel that the Arizona statute is “an archaic law that puts women at risk, and he says it’s exactly what ought to happen. Because he’s celebrated overturning Roe v. Wade. … He is celebrating the fact that states are banning abortion.”
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