Kathleen Passidomo stresses support for anti-abortion legislation, but not Texas law ‘cut and paste’
Kathleen Passidomo. Image via Colin Hackley.

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'I am pro-life but I am not pro-telling on your neighbors.'

Sen. Kathleen Passidomo on Tuesday clarified her desire for stricter abortion regulations in Florida.

“Given the recent opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, we may pursue greater protections for life in Florida,” said the Naples Republican, who is in line to be Senate President if Republicans maintain a majority in 2022.

The statement came a day after Passidomo made headlines for criticizing portions of the Texas “heartbeat” bill that bars abortions around six weeks into a pregnancy and makes no provisions for rape or incest. She made her remarks in a speech to the Argus Foundation in Sarasota, where she said “I am pro-life but I am not pro-telling on your neighbors,” according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

She made clear to the newspaper the portion of the law she had trouble with was a $10,000 enforcement incentive for individuals to take people to court for participating in illegal abortions.

Passidomo maintains she will not support an exact duplication of the Texas statute, or a “cut and paste” of the Texas law.

“There are provisions in there that don’t make sense,” she said. “We need to do what’s right for Florida.”

Passidomo’s team also pointed to letters she has sent to constituents about her position on the Texas law and on her anti-abortion agenda.

“Abortion is a life-changing decision that forever impacts the mother, the father and their family,” she wrote. “We must do everything we can to protect the unborn while respecting the health and privacy of Floridians.”

She itemized a number of provisions she has supported that have become law in Florida, including strengthening parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions and blocking taxpayer money from being used for the procedures.

Passidomo also stressed the need to improve foster and adoptive family services in Florida and providing resources for maternal health.

The Senator expects anti-abortion legislation to be filed in the Florida Legislature for the 2022 Session and in coming years.

“I look forward to seriously evaluating and considering that legislation and supporting good public policy that protects life,” she said. “As a pro-life legislator, I believe that our state must continue to dedicate itself to the protection of the most vulnerable among us. We must remain true to our commitment to promote a culture that defends and cherishes life as the most fundamental of our inalienable rights.”

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


One comment

  • Ron Ogden

    September 15, 2021 at 4:54 am

    The helpless child in the womb is a human being with the same right to live as any other person who depends on the good will of others. Killing that child is a horror no one can undo. Millions have died for no d==n good reason. After sixty years of this homicidal mania, Americans are beginning to see the truth. As the singer wrote: “The times they are a-changin’ .”

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