Florida Supreme Court Holds Hearings on Abortion Information Law 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 30, 2005
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) — The Florida Supreme Court held hearings on Thursday on an abortion information law that would require abortion businesses to ensure that they provide women with information about abortion’s risks and alternatives. Attorneys for the state said the court should allow the law to be enforced.
The state Attorney General’s Office argued that the state’s top court should enforce the law because abortion advocates never proved that the Women’s Right to Know law would prevent access to abortions.
The law requires the abortion facilities to give women a state brochure showing the risks and dangers as well as help and resources available should someone considering an abortion keep their baby.
The state legislature approved the law in 1997, but a Palm Beach County abortion business and the Florida chapter of Planned Parenthood took it to court. Local courts blocked it claiming the law was too vague and infringed on the privacy of the doctor-patient relationship.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the court did not decide the cas and would rule later.
Deputy Solicitor General Louis Hubener told the high court that the state had a compelling interest to help women be aware of the pitfalls of an abortion.
"The state has an interest in having the person who is going to potentially undergo a surgical procedure be fully informed about what is going to happen," he said.
The Christian Medical Association and the Catholic Medical Association filed amicus briefs in the case supporting the pro-life law. Approximately 30 states have such informed consent laws on the books.
