Jesse Scheckner
Bills that would have amended Florida’s six-week abortion ban to allow the procedure in more cases of risk for the mother are likely to die unheard this year.
GOP leaders in the Legislature have declined so far to schedule hearings for the legislation (SB 288, HB 1573), which would have amended the current law so women could access abortion if it would prolong their lives or prevent morbidity of a major body part, including “substantial impairment” of their fertility.
Florida law currently allows for post-six-week abortions only to save the mother’s life or prevent “serious risk of substantial physical impairment.”
The proposed bills would also have required just one physician to determine if a later-than-six-weeks abortion is necessary, rather than two physicians, as Florida law now mandates
The upper-chamber sponsor of the legislation, Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, described it as a “very mild” adjustment to the “Heartbeat Protection Act” that Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly signed in April 2023.
“Basically, we’re looking to expand (what constitutes) medical emergencies so doctors and hospitals can treat their patients without worrying about being sued, losing their license or going to jail,” she told Florida Politics in February.
Polsky pointed to an ad opposing the failed Amendment 4 ballot measure aimed at codifying abortion protections in the Florida Constitution. In the ad, viewers were assured that pregnant women with life- or health-threatening medical emergencies could still be treated.
But that hasn’t been the case in reality, Polsky said, citing the story of her constituent, Anya Cook, who had a miscarriage and nearly died in a salon bathroom because a hospital turned her away. The incident occurred before DeSantis signed the six-week ban.
“That’s not acceptable,” Polsky said. “We’re trying to keep women from dying, as they have in Georgia and Texas. This is really a pro-life bill.”
House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell sponsored HB 1573, with Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani cosponsoring. Democratic Sens. Kristen Arrington of Kissimmee and Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando cosponsored SB 288.
Winter Haven Republican Sen. Colleen Burton chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee, which would have first taken up SB 288.
HB 1573 was to first go before the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee, but its Chair, Lake Placid Republican Rep. Kaylee Tuck, did not add it to any of the panel’s agendas.
