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Governor Crist Vetoes HB 1143

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PRESS STATEMENT FROM STEPHANIE KUNKEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF FLORIDA, ON HISTORIC VETO OF HB 1143

More Than One Million Floridians Urge Gov. Crist to Veto HB 1143

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2010

CONTACT:
Brandon Hensler, ACLU, (786) 363-2737 or media@aclufl.org
Stephanie Kunkel, Planned Parenthood, (850) 425-5097 or Stephanie.kunkel@fappa.org
Damien Filer, Progress Florida, (850) 212-1858 or damien@progressflorida.org

Local lawmaker introduces anti-abortion bill

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March 2, 2010, CBS 47 / FOX 30 Jacksonville

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Republican State Rep. Charles Van Zant's Florida for Life Act would make all abortions illegal unless the procedure was needed to save the life of a woman.

“I simply believe we're given certain rights by our constitution…the first of these rights is life and that needs to be preserved. For 37 years we've violated our own constitution by destroying unborn Floridians and that needs to stop,” the representative from Keyston Heights said from Tallahassee.

State Rep Seeks Abortion Ban

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March 1, 2010, WOKV.com

If you didn't think the state legislature was busy enough, how about an abortion battle???

State representative from Clay County Charles Van Zant has submitted a bill to outlaw nearly all abortions in the state.

"This bill is designed to protect the life of all Floridians. Including the unborn Floridians," Van Zant said.

His bill would return state laws to pre-Roe versus Wade, punishing women who have abortions and the doctors who provide them. It would make an exception only in cases where the mother's health is in danger.

A Clay legislator wants to ban all abortions

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February 28, 2010, Florida Times-Union / St. Augustine Record

A Clay County legislator’s plan to outlaw abortion in Florida has gained quick traction with the abortion opponents' community but faces numerous obstacles, from skeptical House colleagues to the U.S. Supreme Court.

State Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights and a Baptist minister, filed a bill this month  that would make nearly all forms of abortion a first-degree felony for the provider, punishable by up to life in prison.

North Fla. lawmaker seeks to outlaw abortion

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February 25, 2010, Gainesville Sun / Ocala Star Banner

Abortion providers, people who assist them, and operators of clinics where abortions occur could receive long prison sentences under a new bill that mandates a wide-ranging ban on the procedure.

The bill, offered recently by state Rep. Charles Van Zant, a Keystone Heights Republican whose district spans much of eastern Marion County, makes performing or assisting in an abortion a first-degree felony, which is punishable by up to life in prison.

Representative Van Zant works hard to pass abortion ban

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February 23, 2010, AM850.com

Florida Representative Charles Van Zant is working hard to pass a bill that would ban abortion. Van Zant says it's important to protect the lives of those who can't protect themselves. Planned Parenthood State Director Stephanie Kunkel says she is unsure of Van Zant's motives for passing the bill. Kunkel says that if passed, this bill has the power to overturn Roe-V-Wade.

Bill to Repeal Abortion Introduced in FL

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February 23, 2010, Ms. Magazine

A bill that would ban abortion in nearly all circumstances, without exception for rape or incest, was introduced late last week in the Florida state House. State Representative Charles Van Zant (R), a former Baptist minister, is sponsoring the bill, called the "Florida for Life Act". There are currently no House co-sponsors and there is not a Senate companion bill, according to Tallahasee.com.

Editorial: A Troubling Uptick

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January 30, 2010, The New York Times

One of President Obama’s worthier first-year achievements was to redirect federal sex-education financing from an abstinence-only approach to broader, more-effective programs that provide information to young people about contraceptives, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

A new study from the Guttmacher Institute examining the latest federal data on teenage sex, births and abortion — along with the group’s own abortion statistics — suggests the wisdom of that shift.

Letter: Abortion in Congress

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January 27, 2010, Naples Daily News

Editor, Daily News:

The current national debate about health care and health insurance is being used as a weapon to assail and undercut women’s reproductive health care.

As the debate continues, it is essential that women’s access to the full range of reproductive health services not be compromised. Under present law, some insurance plans cover abortion services. Under the reforms being considered in Congress, the coverage of abortion services will be either severely restricted or nonexistent.