Florida Governor Crist Vetoes Abortion Bill
(PRESS RELEASE) This afternoon, Florida Governor Charlie Crist vetoed an anti-abortion bill that included one of the most extreme ultrasound requirements in the country and would have imposed a discriminatory public health policy that reduced women’s access to essential reproductive healthcare. In a statement, Governor Crist stated, “this bill places an inappropriate burden on women seeking to terminate a pregnancy… Personal views should not result in laws that unwisely expand the role of government and coerce people to obtain medical tests or procedures that are not medically necessary.” The governor added that the bill would have violated a woman’s right to privacy.
One provision in the bill would have required a woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and view the ultrasound image or fill out paperwork to explicitly reject a viewing. If she didn’t decline, she would be forced to listen to a description of the image. These requirements would apply even to women who have experienced the trauma of rape, incest or domestic violence. The other provision would have prohibited many women and small businesses from purchasing insurance plans that cover abortion. This requirement was even more restrictive than the recently enacted-federal healthcare reform act.
The Center for Reproductive Rights sent a letter to Governor Crist last month calling on him to veto the legislation. Among other claims, the Center argued that the law violated a patient’s right to privacy under Florida’s constitution, infringed upon the doctor-patient relationship, and prevented women and their families from protecting their health.
“Today, Governor Crist stood up for the women of Florida and vetoed an anti-abortion bill designed to score political points rather than protect women’s health,” said Jordan Goldberg, state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The Florida legislature attempted to inflict discriminatory and harmful legislation on women and families, shoehorning these provisions in at the eleventh hour. The people of Florida do not support this type of interference in the doctor patient relationship — it’s time for legislators to stop trying to practice medicine.”
