Legislation will create medically unnecessary restrictions that could shutter clinics and threatens Medicaid recipients’ access;
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 9, 2016
CONTACT: ACLU of Florida Media Office, media@aclufl.org, (786) 363-2737
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Senate has voted to approve a bill, HB 1411, which includes several provisions that will limit Florida women’s ability to access abortion care. The legislation will now be sent to Gov. Rick Scott to be signed.
Reacting to the vote, Michelle Richardson, ACLU of Florida Director of Public Policy stated:
“This bill will jeopardize a woman’s ability access a safe and legally protected healthcare procedure, and is just the latest restriction passed by the Florida legislature intended to make it more difficult for a woman who has made the decision to end a pregnancy to access the care she needs.
“The legislature cannot legally ban abortion – that is a woman’s constitutional right. Instead, they hide their true goal by disingenuously claiming they are protecting women’s health. In reality, this legislation has little to do with patient care and everything to do with anti-abortion politics. This bill is intended to do one thing: prevent a woman who has determined that she will seek an abortion from doing so.
“The restrictions are designed by politicians, not doctors. The burdens placed on health care providers will be impossible for many clinics to meet, and will shutter clinics that provide a variety of health services, making it less and less possible for a Florida woman – especially if she is poor or works full-time – to access the health care she needs.
“The ACLU of Florida is currently in court challenging the last restriction on access to abortion care passed by the legislature last year, with the Florida Supreme Court currently reviewing the injunction that stopped that law from going into effect. We will use all of our energies to fight this legislation and other restrictions that violate the legal rights of Florida women to access the care they need and will be examining every possible means to protect Florida women from this dangerous bill.”
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