Senate Sends Pro-Life Bills to Gov. Rick Scott

Two abortion bills have cleared the Florida Senate and will now head to Gov. Rick Scott's desk for his signature.

Bills requiring abortion seekers to undergo an ultrasound and imposing greater safeguards to ensure parental notification for minors seeking abortions passed the upper chamber Thursday, but not before Republican Sen. Evelyn Lynn of Ormond Beach berated her colleagues for taking their focus off of the dismal economy.

"I didn't come up here to tell you what to do with your bodies. You know why I really came up here this year? I came up here to help people put food on their table, to get people jobs; I came up here to protect people from the kind of safety issues that firefighters and police take care of; I came up here to protect education," Lynn said.

The bills passedon largely partisan lines, with Lynn the only Republican to vote against the parental notification measure. She was joined by Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, as the only GOP members voting against the ultrasound bill.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, who sponsored the ultrasound bill, said lawmakers were responsible for more than just the economy.

"There are so many issues that need to be addressed. The great questions of life are why you're here. You may think you're here for other issues but you're not," Storms said.

Gov. Scott is likely to sign the bills into law.