Legislative Issues

2008 Legislative Session Summary

It’s the end of the 2008 Florida Legislative session and we’ve had some impressive successes – thanks to your activism It’s the end of the 2008 Florida Legislative sessions and we’ve had some impressive successes – thanks to your activism!

While there were many anti-choice attacks and misleading pieces of legislation, one thing is clear: it was the hard work of our activists and supporters that sent a clear message to Florida lawmakers – women’s health and safety matters!
We wanted to share with you the results of this legislative session and how your elected officials voted. Please make sure you take a few minutes to let your legislators know how you feel about their votes.

Don’t know who your elected officials are? Click here to find out!

Pro-Choice, Pro-Prevention Bills

The Healthy Teens Act
DID NOT BECOME LAW

SB 848 by Sen. Deutch (D-30); HB 449 by Rep. Bendross-Mindingall (D-109)

The Healthy Teens Act, SB 848 passed out of the Senate Committee on Pre-K-12 Education by a vote of 4-3. The House companion, HB 449, did not receive a committee hearing. The Healthy Teens Act protects Florida’s teens by requiring that public schools receiving state funding provide comprehensive, medically-accurate, and age-appropriate factual information when teaching about sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, family planning, or pregnancy.

Prevention First Act
DID NOT BECOME LAW

SB 780 by Sen. Rich (D-34); HB 385 by Rep. A. Gibson (D-15)

The Prevention First Act, SB 780, passed out of the Health Regulation Committee unanimously by a vote of 7-0. The House companion, HB 385, was heard in the House Committee on Health Quality, but did not receive a vote. The Prevention First Act increases access to birth control and reduces unintended pregnancies by guaranteeing access to emergency contraception for rape survivors, protecting the right to birth control for all women, and protecting the right to have lawful and valid prescriptions filled at the pharmacy.

Anti-Choice Bills

Mandatory Ultrasound
DID NOT BECOME LAW (DIED)
SB 2400 by Sen. Webster (R-9)

SB 2400 died in the Senate with a vote of 20-20. SB 2400 violates the doctor-patient relationship by requiring that doctors perform ultrasounds prior to any abortion. This bill would force physicians to perform ultrasounds even when it is not medically-appropriate to the patient’s situation or goes against the professional judgment of the physician.

Omnibus Anti-Choice Bill
DID NOT BECOME LAW (DIED)

HB 257 by Rep. Traviesa (R-56)

As introduced, HB 257 would have put the health and safety of Florida women at risk and does nothing to prevent unintended pregnancy or reduce the need for abortion. This legislation puts the health and safety of women at risk by requiring a 24-hour delay prior to abortion; violates the doctor-patient relationship by mandating that doctors perform ultrasounds and read a script prior to abortion; wastes precious resources by requiring minors seeking judicial bypass for abortion to be assigned a guardian ad litem; and strips doctors of their ability to act in the best interest of the patient due to fear of liability. HB 257 was amended in the House Healthcare Council to mandate an ultrasound prior to abortion, require that a guardian ad litem be assigned to young women seeking a judicial bypass prior to abortion, and dictates what a judge must consider before granting a judicial bypass for abortion. HB 257 passed the House by a vote of 70-45.

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HB 513 by Rep. Poppell (R-29)

HB 513 passed the House by a vote of 80-36. By defining “unborn child” as “means a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb,” this bill would have given separate protection to a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus. The criminal sentences imposed under this legislation for crimes against the “unborn child” would be equal to that which would be imposed had the crime resulted in the death of the woman.