CNN Newsroom: Interview With Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-FL)
Interview
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Well, thank you so much, Jim, for having me. It's devastating for women and pregnant people, not just in Florida, but also in the southeast. So, we've seen an increase of abortion services being needed as women have traveled to Florida from other southern eastern states of the United States looking for help.
And so, this is a tragedy, not just for Floridians before women across America. And we're going to fight back in every way that we can. But the fact that Governor Ron DeSantis signed this behind closed doors, 11:00 at night, also tells me that he knows how deeply unpopular this policy is, not just in our state, before Americans around the country.
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You are correct, Jim. Six weeks is incredibly extreme. You will not know you're pregnant by six weeks. And I actually worked at Planned Parenthood before I ran for office. And so, I see the real- life implications of these policies on patients.
And not only is this going to force individuals into birth, but you're going to have to leave the State of Florida to access care. And right now, our closest state is North Carolina. But finding an appointment in North Carolina has also been a struggle as so many other states that ban abortion are doing the same. And so, we're leveraging our abortion funds. We're doing what we can to communicate to patients what this means.
And I want to be clear, this six-week abortion ban is not going to affect immediately. In fact, what's really complicated about this ban is it's privy on the Florida Supreme Court decision on the 15-week ban, which is still being litigated in our state and unconstitutional under our state constitution. And so, despite that, the governor moved forward with a six-week ban but it's not in place yet because we're waiting for that decision on 15 weeks. And then, when that decision comes out, we have 30 days until a six-week ban goes into effect.
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Well, first of all, please understand how extreme Governor DeSantis is and taking away our collective freedoms. This is an unpopular ban, and we've seen around the country Americans reject abortion bans and support constitutional amendments that codify these protections at a local state level.
And so, you need to understand that a White House with Governor Ron DeSantis is one that takes away our freedoms and our liberties. And that event he had behind closed doors with no press, with no notice, and it was so orchestrated to give off the impression of community support where he had to tell people in that room to clap for him. It was like Jeb Bush vibes all over again.
So, please understand that as Floridians, we overwhelmingly oppose this ban. It is actually not just a Republican controlled legislature that's doing it, but it is the governor trying to pander towards a conservative base of voters.
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Well Jim, the answer is simple, Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to out Trump Trump. And so, to do that, you have to be as extreme as possible. Now, at argue, unless you've been indicted and have led an insurrection. You can't out Trump Trump. But obviously, Ron DeSantis is trying to do that through his actions.
But it is not only unpopular among the general electorate, we had several Republicans vote no on this ban on the house floor when -- and some walked away so they wouldn't have to vote. So, the legislature knows that this will lead to lost seats. And what gives me hope is the people of Florida rising up in opposition to this and having the voice be heard on that 2024 ballot box.
And I'm also hopeful that the American people realize that DeSantis is a coward for signing this ban into law at nighttime, you know, in a closed office environment that he is trying to trick voters into seeing him as being viable at a national stage. And I think we're seeing that that's not the case, and that he doesn't have a path to victory.
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Thanks for having me, Jim.
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Thank you.
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