Jax-NOW members attended the rally in Tallahassee protesting the bill that will make abortions illegal in Florida. The law won't go into effect unless the Florida Supreme Court rules that the 15 week abortion ban (signed by the Governor last year) doesn't violate
Florida Constitution Article 1 Section 23:
Photos from the rally:
You can see us singing "Lean On Me" in these video clips with others who travelled to Tallahassee to support the Democratic women who tried to convince the Republicans to at least make the bill less egregious: https://twitter.com/SavannahWCTV/status/1646529998126465036?s=20 https://twitter.com/DashaBurns/status/1646584906636558351?s=20
Vote out the people who voted yes on the bill:
It is also horrible that most of the Republicans voted down these amendments that would have made the bill a little less egregious.
A summary of the amendments that were all voted down:
These amendments are about the funds being given to pregnancy crisis centers which some call fake clinics--Gantt referred to them as alleged clinics in the debate on the House floor 4/13/2023:
467821-- This is to make sure the organizations getting part of that $25 million are spending the money as specified in the bill
225255-- Contract funds may not be used for billboards.[As an aside, did you know the fake clinics were using our tax dollars for this?]
264101 and 429589-- A cause of action exists to recover damages for personal injury, physical or psychological, as a result of services provided by a subcontractor [fake clinics] under this section. 620479 --- Services provided at the same location or same website of any subcontractor [receiving any of the funds authorized under this statute] must be provided in a noncoercive manner and may not include any religious content 347967 It allows the community the opportunity to get material removed from the taxpayer funded [fake] clinics that do not represent medically accurate information, is religious or coercive in nature, or misrepresents legal healthcare options.
Various amendments that suggest rather than giving money to fake clinics (that have been known to engage in misleading tactics that delay a person's ability to get a legal abortion) fund these things instead:
Hormonal Long-acting Reversible Contraception Program
rape crisis centers
diaper banks under the National Diaper Bank Network
milk banks accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America
doula services
educational campaigns around black maternal health and maternal mortality
child care assistance for low-income working families.
implementing the telehealth minority maternity care pilot program.
providing fertility services to full-time state employees.
Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
providing reproductive health care and education programs
providing translation services in reproductive health care clinics.
providing comprehensive and age appropriate sexual health education curriculum in K-12 schools
185977 —A man who has impregnated a woman and was convicted of rape, incest, domestic violence, or human trafficking relating to such woman, must provide a $300,000 bond for financial support of such woman
935677--It removes the requirement that could cause further trauma to rape victims168119 Removes the restriction on using telehealth
209739 and 311003--It attempts to correct a hardship caused by forcing minors to go thru the courts to get an abortion rather than being allowed to make the decision themselves as quickly as they feel comfortable
800541--It renames the bill to make the title of the bill better reflect its purpose
286229 --Technical correction when an abortion is a medical emergency
296797 -- This is necessary so that citizens understand who is responsible for the law that is causing them to lose access to medical care
133303 -- Aims to be a deterrent in order to prevent violence against health care clinics
750597 -- Provides additional funding for kids with disabilities
935893 Delays the effective date
701269 A pregnant woman who is prohibited from terminating a pregnancy under this section and the father of such pregnancy shall each be provided 3 months of fully paid maternity or paternity leave, as applicable.
212971 and 025301-- Since we have a shortage of maternal care doctors in our state, this allows one doctor to make a decision
891331 - Allows a religious exemption from the law752931--Allows the second opinion consultation to be over the phone.
561809 - The Florida State Guard shall adopt the health care policies issued by the United States Department of Defense with respect to access to reproductive health care services,
167839 - Allows informed consent to be over the telephone
613993 - Allows an exception from the six-week abortion ban for mental health reasons
599097 --This is needed based on doctors' testimony, i.e the wording in the bill needs clarification--vagueness is something the legislature should not put into bills as it causes too many lawsuits.
717981-- This is needed because many times a rape or sexual assault victim will be traumatized further by being required to report the crime. The decision to report the crime should be left up to the victim without threats from the government to withhold health care.
656933--Adds an additional exemption if a woman is in imminent danger of domestic violence
296687 - Removes the term "imminent death" because that will be difficult for a physician to determine. Fatal fetal abnormality is sufficient wording for the exemption.
832695 —Upon denial of abortion access, the woman must be told accurate information on the judicial waiver process, exceptions for accessing abortion in this state, and when abortion funds will be provided. See 390.0111(15) for some of the exceptions already in the law.
803509--A minor may bring suit for the denial of a judicial waiver based on emotional distress caused by such denial.I do support this part of amendment
251765 - An automatic order for child support shall be entered for anyone convicted of raping someone under 18 who was denied an abortion. Any support given by the state in support of the child shall be repaid to the state by the offender.
868849 - If a woman who seeks abortion care is denied such care because she is beyond the 6 week timeframe, she may petition the court for an order of child support. Upon petition to the court, the order shall be entered automatically. This amendment also includes money for prenatal care. [Prenatal care should not be called "child care]
Here's a few articles about the fake clinics:
The case involves fake women’s health centers or “crisis pregnancy centers,” as they like to call themselves. These entities pose as clinics, but are generally run by anti-abortion, often religious organizations, that target pregnant women
In Florida, for example, $1.5 million of the $2 million legislative budget came from the state's rape crisis program trust fund from 2011 to 2019, according to a report published last year by Floridians for Reproductive Freedom. ... "After luring pregnant people — many in desperate situations — to affiliate CPC facilities by using a variety of false and misleading tactics, Heartbeat International then collects a significant amount of their personal health care information, which in many cases does not appear to be protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)," the letter stated.
Heartbeat of Miami, the nonprofit that runs this center, was awarded more than $1.4 million in state funding between 2017 and 2021. Although the Pregnancy Help Medical Clinics claim to be medical facilities, their mission is to dissuade pregnant people from considering abortion. Now, Republican lawmakers in Florida are proposing a more than fivefold increase in taxpayer funding for anti-abortion centers like the Pregnancy Help Medical Clinics, to $25 million from $4.45 million in 2022.it does nothing to increase oversight of the pregnancy center industry in Florida. An investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found that most centers operate in a kind of regulatory dead zone, free of significant state and federal oversight. Most states, including Florida, don’t require pregnancy centers that provide medical services to be licensed or inspected. They’re also not required to comply with the federal patient privacy law known as HIPAA. In many states, tanning salons, massage parlors and even pet stores face significantly stricter oversight.