TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the House Health & Human Services Committee voted to pass House Bill 5 (HB 5), a bill that would ban access to abortion after 15 weeks and criminalize doctors who offer abortion care to patients after 15 weeks.
Kara Gross, ACLU of Florida’s legislative director and senior policy counsel, responded to today's vote with the following:
“The majority of Floridians overwhelmingly support access to safe, legal and accessible abortion care. This bill is blatantly unconstitutional.
“Medical decisions should be made between patients and their doctors, not politicians. Every Floridian deserves access to health care without barriers or political roadblocks.
“Denying access to reproductive care will have a significant impact on people who already face systemic racism and discrimination in this country: People of color, people who are undocumented, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, as well as people who have low-incomes, or live in rural areas. This bill will continue to reinforce the structural inequalities within Florida’s already broken health care system.
“The decision about whether and when to have a child is one of the most important decisions we make. We should be free to make this decision in consultation with medical providers and those we love and trust, and without barriers, political interference, and the government regulating our bodies. The government should never be able to force anyone to carry a pregnancy against their will.”
