Florida’s in the news again, and for reasons that you can probably guess. Go on, guess. I’ll wait. Hey, you got it! First try, too. For those who missed it: apparently Republican lawmakers in Florida are trying to make abortions a felony. HB 865, or the “Florida for Life Act,” would essentially make abortions a first-degree felony. If convicted, it could land someone in prison for up to 30 years.
According to the Miami Herald, Rep. Charles Van Zant said, “The bill recognizes that both the mother and the baby are citizens of the state of Florida… and we are therefore compelled to protect their lives.” As if you needed further confirmation that this bill is motivated by religious reasons (what is separation of church and state), the bill actually mentions “the Creator” by name. Specifically:
The Legislature finds that all human life comes from the Creator, has an inherent value that cannot be quantified by man, and begins at the earliest biological development of a fertilized human egg.
This is just one part of a three pronged attack–HB 233 tightens the licensing requirements for abortion clinics, requiring them to maintain the same standards as surgical centers, and HB 1411 blocks state funding for any facility that provides elective abortions. It also requires doctors at these facilities to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital–something that is unnecessary and difficult to acquire.
It seems that these Florida lawmakers are doing literally everything they can to ban abortions. It remains yet to be seen if these will be enacted into law, but the fact that these have been presented at all–and got the support that they did–is nothing short of worrying.
The last bill in particular seems like a special “fuck you” to facilities that provide elective abortions, because as you and I both know, facilities that provide elective abortions (aka Planned Parenthood) also provide general healthcare for women. Removing state funding for these facilities makes it harder for them to provide this healthcare. The last thing anyone needs to do is make it harder for people to take care of each other, right? R… right?
(via Jezebel, image via Flickr/Brian Turner)
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