One part of the measure requires abortion practitioners to have medical privileges at a local hospital in order to provide care for women who suffer from botched abortions.

The Florida Senate rejected an amendment on a 22-15 vote that would have let abortion centers work out standing agreements with nearby hospitals to accept women in crisis situations.

The bill is scheduled for a final vote this week.

Florida has about 60 abortion facilities across the state, but past attempts to regulate them have been voided by courts, which claim they violate a woman's right to an abortion.

Previous bills have covered both first and second-trimester abortions. Te current legislaton covers only the later abortions.

Approximately 90,000 abortions were performed in Florida in 2003 and 8,800 of them in the second-trimester.

The Florida House has already approved the measure, and lawmakers there backed HB 1041 on an 89-27 vote.

"We're after abortion clinics that do a horrible job, that's who we're after," Rep. Aaron Bean, a Republican and the House bill sponsor, said during the vote.

Abortion facilities strongly oppose the Women's Health and Safety Act and pro-abortion lawmakers tried to strip language from the bill discussing the various risks and complications resulting from an abortion.

Related web sites:
Florida state Senate - http://www.flsenate.gov
Florida Right to Life - http://www.frtl.org