Pamela Bondi
As Attorney General (AG), Bondi will be the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. She will be ultimately responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances (FACE) Act, overseeing the National Task Force on Violence Against Health Care Providers, and determining the Department’s position on the Comstock Act.
Top Red Flags
- Defended mandatory waiting periods and biased counseling for abortions in Florida as the state’s Attorney General.
- Joined other Republican Attorneys General in amicus briefs advocating for limits on access to abortion and contraception.
- Peddled the false claim that “six out of 10 women who’ve had an abortion say they felt pressured into it” From Fox Business interview.
Litigation
As Attorney General of Florida, Bondi defended the state’s biased counseling and mandatory waiting period abortions restrictions.
- Fulwider v. Senior, No. 4:16-cv-00765 (Fla. N. Dist. Ct. 2016)
- In December 2016, religious leaders and nonprofit organizations sued Bondi in her official capacity as Florida Attorney General, arguing that a state law violated their constitutional rights by forcing them to give a detailed explanation of the “effects of and alternatives to abortion” when counseling those considering abortion.
- The law was ultimately declared unconstitutional in July 2018. The defendants, including Bondi, were prohibited from enforcing the law and later paid the plaintiffs an undisclosed amount.
- Gainesville Woman Care, LLC v. State, 210 So. 3d 1243 (Fla. 2017)
- As Florida Attorney General, Bondi also defended a mandatory waiting period law preventing those seeking an abortion from obtaining their medication or procedure for at least 24 hours after meeting with a provider.
- While Bondi was initially blocked from enforcing the law, it was eventually upheld in 2022 after a long appellate challenge.
While serving as Florida Attorney General, Bondi also joined amicus briefs advocating for limits on abortion and contraception filed in the following cases:
- Beckwith Elec. Co. v. Sebelius, 960 F. Supp. 2d 1328 (M.D. Fla. 2013) and Zubik v. Burwell, 578 U.S. 403 (2016): arguing that the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate violated constitutional protections for religious freedom by requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception.
- West Alabama Women’s Center v. Miller, No. 17-15208 (11th Cir. 2017): urging the court to uphold Alabama laws prohibiting abortion clinics from operating within a specified radius of schools and criminalizing abortion providers who failed to dispose of fetal tissue via specified methods.
- Whole Woman’s Health v. Paxton, 972 F.3d 649, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 26738 (5th Cir. Tex. August 21, 2020): supporting Texas Senate Bill 8 banning the standard procedure for abortion care after about 14-15 weeks.
Statements
- “I’m urging [Florida] Governor Crist to sign the abortion ultrasound bill.” From X.
- “As a woman, I find myself awestruck by the incredible responsibility that comes with bringing a child into this world, and as a pro-life, pro-family conservative, I feel compelled to take every possible step to protect this greatest gift from God.”
- “House Bill 1143 has been deemed controversial by many, who suggest that if it became law, it would force a woman to view an ultrasound photo prior to terminating her pregnancy. Those people have not read this bill, Governor Crist.”
- “I recognize that any time there is a discussion that involves the sanctity of life as opposed to a woman’s right of choice, emotions run high and activism runs even higher. However, I would urge you to wade through the rhetoric and see that this clearly isn’t a mandate, it isn’t a judgment, but it is only an opportunity. When she is making the most important decision she will ever make, this mother and her child deserve every chance there is to think twice.” From a letter to Governor Crist posted on Facebook.
- “Government has no business forcing religious institutions and individuals to violate their sincerely held beliefs. This lawsuit [Beckwith Elec. Co. v. Sebelius, a challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate,] is about protecting religious liberty and the rights of conscience, our most basic freedoms as Americans.” From Sunshine State News.
- “The polling is very clear. They [Americans] care about the economy, they care about health care, they care about immigration, they care about the cost of living more than abortion. You know, six out of 10 women who’ve had an abortion say they felt pressured into it.” From Fox Business Interview.
- “It’s these late-term abortions, even after 15 weeks. The mother knew she’s pregnant and the [fetus] can feel pain. So many states still have that, Florida doesn’t, but you know, as I was saying, six out of 10 women feel pressured, they felt pressured, they said, to have an abortion, — by their partner, by their family members, by somewhere else.”
Extremist Connections
America First Policy Institute: Bondi serves as the Chair of the Center for Litigation and the Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the American First Policy Institute, an organization that works to “honor the sanctity of every innocent human life” and eliminate all federal funding for abortion providers.