Florida women looking to terminate their pregnancy would be required to get an ultrasound before going through with the abortion under a bill passed by the Senate Health Regulation Committee Monday.
Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, says her bill, which is identical to a bill that made it through the Legislature last year but was vetoed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist, is all about providing all the information to women before making such a life-altering decision.
We will have done our level best to say we gave you every opportunity to get all the available information to you at the time to make the best decision possible, Storms said.
The bill received overwhelming support from the committee, but did run into resistance from one Republican, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who objected to the bill on the grounds it was undue government intrusion in individual health decisions.
Latvala touted his pro-life bona fides, saying he voted for previous bills on the committee that forbid public funds for abortions, but that Storms bill goes too far, specifically, by requiring abortion-seekers to listen to descriptions of the fetus and its stages of development before the abortion.
I think that this is a step down the slippery slope of government involvement in health care that we dont need. Theres not a choice in this bill as to what they have to listen to, Latvala said.
Democrats also voiced their opposition to the bill over provisions that would require the victims of rape, incest or human trafficking to provide evidence of the crime in order to be exempt from the ultrasound requirement.
Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, said many victims of those crimes dont report them out of fear or shame, and consequently may not be willing to relive the experience.
What are those women supposed to do? Sobel said.
Even though they must listen to a description of the fetus, women may sign a waiver allowing them to opt out of viewing the live ultrasound images of the fetus. That exemption was not enough for Sobel.
This bill truly makes women second-class citizens and I think it's an insult to our intelligence, Sobel said.
The bill has one more committee stop before heading to the Senate floor. A similar bill in the House is also on track, with one more committee to go through before reaching the floor.
For pro-life advocates, however, the bill is not about health care choices but about protecting the unborn.
I ask you, when did an abortion procedure become health care? said Maureen Ahern, wife of Rep. Larry Ahern, R-St. Petersburg.
The decision to abort a fetus should be made more difficult, not less, by the government, she argued.
This should be the most uncomfortable decision a woman makes. A woman is about to end a life, Ahern said.
Other abortion bills on the committees agenda that would require parental notification for minors seeking abortions and ban abortions in the third trimester were postponed due to time constraints.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
